Evading Destiny
by Murasaki Rose
Summary: YYxY,SxJxS,DxT,YBxR: Sequel to Retrieving Destiny. Months after their fateful trip to Egypt life is going well for the teens until an unknown group attacks! To protect their mates the yami must find the city of Atlantis & unearth the fate of their race!
1. Chapter 1

Title: Evading Destiny  
Part: 1/??  
Author: Murasaki Rose  
Beta: none  
Genre: Romance/Fantasy/AU  
Rating: R  
Spoilers: Yami Yuugi's real name  
Warnings: Yaoi (male x male), implied Mpreg  
Pairings: YYxY, SxJxS, DxT, YBxR, YMxM  
Minor Pairings: BMGxA, BMxK, VxA, TxCxH, HxO, PxC, IxM  
Disclaimer: Here we go. Yu-Gi-Oh and all its characters are the property of Kazuki Takahashi, Shueisha, Konami, Toei, and unfortunately, 4 Kids Entertainment. In other words, I don't own them and I'm not making any money off of this, I'm just a fangirl having some fun.  
A/N: "text" = speech, 'text' = thought, ((text)) = telepathy

Summary: Sequel to Retrieving Destiny. Months after their fateful trip to Egypt, the reunited soul mates continue to adjust to their new life in Domino. With the modern teens' upcoming graduation, things appear to be going well until a strange series of seemingly random attacks and bizarre accidents begin plaguing both the lights and their protectors, forcing their lovers into action. In order to protect their mates, the ancient beings must now determine not only the fate of the "lost" city of Atlantis, but also their entire species! The race is on to find the answers before they all face annihilation at the hands of an unknown enemy.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Lying across his boyfriend's enormous bed, Katsuya Jonouchi watched the tall brunet teen pack for his business trip whining periodically to catch his attention. So far all his efforts had been in vain.

"Are ya sure I can't come with ya Seto?" he pleaded again, large brown eyes widening soulfully at his lover as he once again attempted to sway his decision. Of course, this effect was completely wasted when the subject of his guilt trip wasn't even looking in his direction.

A heavy sigh came from the closet where Seto Kaiba was currently rummaging through his dress shirts. "For the thousandth time, pup. No. You can NOT come with me." The teen then exited the closet with the desired garments in hand, moving to lay them on the bed next to his begging lover. "It's the end of our senior year and you can't afford to miss a week's worth of any of your classes." Seeing the blond open his mouth he continued before his lover started complaining again. "The only reason they're letting me go is because I HAVE to. As CEO and creator of Kaiba Corp's Duel Disk technology, there isn't anyone else I can send in my place."

Jonouchi pouted, sitting up and crossing his arms sulkily, "Seth gets to go," he grumbled.

"That's because I don't have school to attend, beloved. And I refuse to let my own _akhu_ (1) travel alone," Seth responded having entered the room just in time to hear Jonouchi's last complaint. "You on the other hand are an accomplished warrior who will be safe here with the other _ms-n hwi_ (2) and mated _akhu _and _kkwy_ (3)." As he spoke to the blond teen the priest noticed out of the corner of his eye that Seto was moving his clothing from the bed to the safety of a nearby armchair. Dropping down next to him the tanned darkness curled around the disgruntled reincarnation of his husband, "I know you'll be lonely while we're gone . . ." he began, catching the blond's ear between his teeth, nibbling gently on it.

"But we'll be sure to leave you with some good memories to tide you over," Seto finished, his nimble fingers unbuttoning the blond's shirt.

Jonouchi groaned as his boyfriend and husband both ran their hands across his chest and down low to dip beneath the waistband of his pants.

A hot mouth closed over his own, swallowing his gasp as another hissed a dark promise into his ear. "If we have our way, my Jono, you'll be begging for a break once we're finished with you," Seth promised, darting his tongue into the blond's ear as he assisted his light in removing their lover's troublesome pants and boxers.

Worried and hopelessly aroused, Jonouchi whimpered helplessly as his light and dark lovers dominated him thoroughly. Oh well, at least he'd die happy.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"Hey Honda, where's Jonouchi-kun?" Yuugi Mutou asked the brunet as he took his seat in homeroom the next morning. Now that the two friends were living in the same house they always arrived together, so it was quite unusual for one to be there without the other. "He's not sick is he?"

Hiroto Honda chuckled and shook his head. "Nah. But he will be moving a bit slower than usual today." Catching Yuugi's baffled expression he elaborated, "Kaiba had to go to some super-important convention and Seth left with him."

Still confused, Yuugi was about to inquire further when his best friend came limping into the classroom. The petite tri-color-haired teen took one good look at the pained grimace on the blond's face and had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. Now he got it.

Gingerly settling himself into his chair, the blond _ms-n hwi_ glared venomously at his two best friends, one of whom was snickering and the other whose shoulders were shaking so hard he almost looked like he was having convulsions. "I'd like to see how you two would handle having not one but TWO horny and possessive lovers," he growled lowly at the two hikari.

Unaware of Jou's earlier entrance, Ryou Masayume and Malik Ishtar had arrived and were now looking at the three curiously, wondering what could be the cause of the odd behavior from their friends.

"Are you feeling all right Jonouchi-kun?" Ryou asked innocently, worried by the blond's slightly pained expression.

Unable to keep it in any longer, Yuugi literally fell out of his chair laughing.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

When lunch rolled around, Yuugi decided that it would be the perfect time to apologize to his best friend. He hadn't meant to laugh so much, but it was just too funny not to!

Much to his distress, it seemed that his blond friend had no intention of forgiving him so easily. Currently Jonouchi was engaged in playing the silent game with him, pretending as though he could not even hear his short friend's pleas. Seated at the table around them, the rest of their friends had been watching the whole scene worriedly, knowing that this was extremely bizarre behavior for their friends. Seeing the genuine hurt and remorse in Yuugi's eyes, Honda decided to nip the situation in the butt before someone got really hurt.

Smacking his hand down on the table in front of the blond, Honda made sure his oldest friend was paying attention before giving said blond a piece of his mind. "Face it Jonouchi, if the situation had been reversed you would have laughed your ass off at us," Honda proclaimed, locking eyes with the other teen, silently daring him to contradict him.

Caught off guard by the brunet's brutal honesty, Jonouchi realized that he had not been being fair to his friends. Honda was right, had it been one of them, he'd have been the one doing the laughing. Shaking his head, he gave them a wry grin, "Sorry guys. I guess I'm just extra touchy since I won't be seeing my bookends for almost a whole week. Forgive me?" he asked, giving the two his best "kicked puppy" face.

"Only if you forgive me too," Yuugi conceded in relief.

"Deal."

"I don't suppose the three of you are going to share with the rest of us what that was all about are you?" Malik asked, not the least bit surprised when the only reply he got was three simultaneous **negative** head shakes.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

As usual the group of friends parted briefly after school to drop off books and gather their things before meeting at the front gate. Always the first one done, Tomoya Hanasaki hurried to the outer gate entrance because unlike the others, he had a special reason to rush ahead. That was because every day after school, the reincarnated Atlantean Queen was met by his formerly sealed husband and daughter. Today was no different.

Standing just outside the gate under the shade of a large tree stood a tall, handsome man with long aqua hair and gold eyes, a cute little girl with brown hair done up in pigtails, bouncing on the balls of her feet next to him. Spotting the orange-haired teen running towards them, the girl's gray eyes lit up in delight.

"Mommy! Look what I made in school today!" Chris caroled, running forward and thrusting a piece of paper into the slender teen's hands. "It's a picture of us and the knights!" she explained as Hanasaki admired his daughter's artwork.

"It's beautiful, Chris!" he complemented her, smiling warmly at her bright grin. "We'll put this on the refrigerator as soon as we get home, okay?" he promised as he carefully placed the picture in his book bag for safe keeping.

"How was your day my love?" Dartz asked the teen, pulling him into a warm hug before placing a chaste kiss on his lips.

"Hmm, not bad. There was an odd thing going on between-" Hanasaki began to explain, stopping suddenly when he caught sight of a familiar group of girls.

"Something wrong beloved?" Dartz asked curiously when his husband began turning red as some of his female classmates passed by.

Shaking his head, Hanasaki abruptly pulled the aqua-haired man down into a passionate kiss. Gold eyes widened in surprise then slid shut contentedly as the older man allowed his smaller lover to bring their bodies flush together. Breaking their kiss, he gave the petite teen an odd look. Shy and reserved in nature, it was very unusual for his beloved to be so bold in public. Not that he was complaining, but still it was very odd. Raising an eyebrow at the gray-eyed teen, he couldn't help but ask, "What brought that about?"

Glancing back over his shoulder and giving an uncharacteristic smirk, the orange-haired teen snuggled closer to his lover. "Just driving home a point."

Looking in the same direction his light had, the older male caught sight of a small group of girls wearing expressions that ranged from horrified and appalled to furious.

"Your fan club," the teen said by way of explanation.

"Fan club?"

Hanasaki chuckled, "Yes. You managed to acquire them just by being here daily to meet me."

"Okay," Dartz replied slowly, still not quite understanding what his mate was talking about.

Having arrived just in time to witness Hanasaki visibly stake his claim, Jonouchi took pity on the confused Atlantean. "They're just jealous that quiet, nerdy little Hanasaki has such a, and I quote, "gorgeous bishonen" paying attention to him," he explained, chuckling at the fuming girls in the background.

"They were making nasty comments today about what a nerd I was and how much more beautiful they were and kept trying to convince me that they any one of them would make a better match for you," the bespectacled teen told his mate. He shrugged slightly, "I felt the need to prove them wrong."

Giving the snobby girls a disdainful glare, the Atlantean king snorted, "As if they could even compare. You my light are the most beautiful creature on this earth, both body and soul."

Wrapping her arms around Hanasaki's waist, Chris hugged the teen tightly, "Daddy's right Mommy! You and Daddy were born to be together."

"Aww, that's so sweet!" Anzu cooed as she and the rest of their friends joined them. Suddenly feeling shy, Hanasaki blushed but made no move to step out of his lover's embrace.

Yuugi smiled knowingly, but said nothing. He didn't want to embarrass poor Tomoya any more than he already was. "Well, now that everyone's here we can go pick up Atem and the other yami at the Game Shop-"

"And then on to the arcade!" Jonouchi finished for him, spinning the small teen around by one arm in a clumsy pirouette.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"We will be arriving at Narita International Airport (4) in ten minutes sir," announced the soft voice of the plane's pilot.

"Excellent," the plane's only passenger murmured in reply, even though he knew the pilot wouldn't hear him. Handing his champagne glass to the flight attendant, he gave her a charming smile resisting the urge to smirk as she blushed like a school girl.

Once she had returned to the back of the cabin, he allowed a smirk to cross his features. 'Too easy,' he thought proudly. He did enjoy his games both big and small. Speaking of games, this conference promised to be the grandest game of all. His greatest peers and competitors would all be there, just waiting to one up and show off to one another. New alliances and enemies would be formed here all in the name of winning. He couldn't wait.

Gazing out the window of his luxurious private jet at the island below, Siegfried Von Schroider began to laugh darkly.

-

November 04, 2009  
-edited December 29, 2009

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

1 - light (ancient Egyptian)

2 - born to protect (ancient Egyptian)

3 - darkness (ancient Egyptian)

4 - Formerly known as the New Tokyo International Airport, Narita International Airport handles most of the international air traffic to Japan.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Evading Destiny  
Part: 2/??  
Author: Murasaki Rose  
Beta: none  
Genre: Romance/Fantasy/AU  
Rating: R  
Spoilers: Yami Yuugi's real name  
Warnings: Yaoi (male x male), implied Mpreg  
Pairings: YYxY, SxJxS, DxT, YBxR, YMxM  
Minor Pairings: BMGxA, BMxK, TxCxH, HxO, PxC, IxM  
Disclaimer: Here we go. Yu-Gi-Oh and all its characters are the property of Kazuki Takahashi, Shueisha, Konami, Toei, and unfortunately, 4 Kids Entertainment. In other words, I don't own them and I'm not making any money off of this, I'm just a fangirl having some fun.  
A/N: "text" = speech, 'text' = thought, ((text)) = telepathy

Summary: Sequel to Retrieving Destiny. Months after their fateful trip to Egypt, Yuugi and his friends have adjusted to life with their ancient soul mates. Things appear to be going well, until just weeks before graduation, a series of bizarre accidents and seemingly random attacks begin plaguing the lights and their protectors! When the teens learn the "accidents" were planned by the same ones responsible for the attacks, their ancient lovers are forced into action. In order to protect their mates, the yami must determine, not only the location of the "lost" city of Atlantis, but also the true fate of their entire species! With new enemies coming at them with increasing power at every turn, will they find the answers they need before it's too late?

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

The convention was huge.

There were companies from all over the world represented here, each setting up shop to display the latest in their technology or the finest in their product lines. Of course Kaiba Corp would have it's own booth in the convention hall, but that would be run by techs and other specially chosen representatives of the company. As the company president, Seto wasn't about to be trapped down amongst the masses playing show pony. Instead he would be spending the bulk of his time amongst his business peers discussing trends, upcoming mergers, and possible joint projects. Later on, after the public part of the convention officially opened he'd be unveiling a special preview of his newly upgraded Duel Disks.

For the first four three days of the convention, CEOs, inventors, technicians, designers and artists alike would spent most of their time in meetings and seminars. The last three days were when every company attending would display their wares for a select number of the public along with potential buyers and distributors. Having received one of the coveted Saturday slots for his Duel Disk unveiling, Seto would be able to reveal his product to the greatest number of potential customers and leave a day early as a bonus. (A fact he and Seth had hidden from Jonouchi in order to surprise him.) The teenage CEO had hand-picked each of his company representatives for Kaiba Corp's booth, so he trusted them to run it alone on the final day AND get everything packed up and brought back to Domino.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The first day passed rather slowly and with little event. Since most of the arrivals were still recovering from jet-lag there were few meetings or events scheduled, mostly just a few casual meet-and-greet luncheons and dinners.

For Seto, and Seth who was listening in, the most interesting day was the second one. On the second day, Seto was attending seminars and panels with other technicians and inventors to give himself a better idea of what was coming from his competitors and to see if any of them had potential to be used in conjunction with Kaiba Corp's own technology. It was a day he could happily immerse himself in techno-geek heaven with others who completely understood.

From the sanctuary of their private suite, Seth couldn't suppress the huge grin on his face as he basked in his light's uninhibited joy. (The yami was equally happy that he didn't have to appear in front of the other's so his silly grin was hidden to all.) In this environment, his hikari did not have to be the stone-cold CEO of Kaiba Corp that his rivals knew. Here, surrounded by men and women who thought much like he did, the teenage genius was simply allowed to be the creative inventor that he was at heart. Happily discussing theories and the pros and cons of certain types of technology over others with an almost childish enthusiasm that the light rarely was able to show.

By the end of the day, Seto was practically glowing with happiness when he retired to his suite for the night. Still infused by his hikari's innocent delight, Seth eagerly pounced on his happy light and ravished the boy thoroughly.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The third day of the convention found Seto deep into the business aspect of his trip. It was on this day that he would spend most of his time conversing with other CEOs. The meetings and discussions he would have today could, and in some cases would, have major impact on Kaiba Corp's future. That didn't stop it from being boring as hell.

'I swear if this wasn't so important-' the brunet thought as he pasted on a polite smile as yet another of his foreign associates approached him.

"Ah, Kaiba-san. I'd like to introduce you to my daughter-"

((I'm horny.))

Seto barely stopped his eyes from widening at his yami's sudden interruption. Of all the things to say!

((Horny?! Seriously Seth, I think you've been spending too much time with Katsuya. His vocabulary is starting to leak into yours,)) he sent while verbally making small talk.

Seth snorted physically and mentally, ((It's infuriating hearing all these men throwing their daughters at you when they know you have Jono. I'd be more than happy to come down, banish them to the shadows, then bring you back up here to have my way with you.))

Seto fought down a blush as the yami continued. ((I should do it. Or better yet, I could just take you right there.))

((Seeeettth~))

((Yeesss,)) the dark hissed back, ((Just waltz right in and swallow the room in shadows. I saw some chairs earlier that would work beautifully _antyw akhu_ (1). The backs are low enough to bend you over and present your perfect, pale ass up like an offering.))

Seto bit the inside of his cheek to stop from moaning at the imagery his own mind conjured up. Embarrassed, he snapped back at his dark, ((Stop it! If I get an erection in here, I'm cutting you off for a month! And when Katsuya hears about this he will too!))

((Very well,)) the former priest assented reluctantly. No matter how possessive he was feeling, it wouldn't do to punish his light for something that wasn't his fault.

Politely making his excuses to the older man and his daughter, Seto quickly made his escape and was once more walking amidst his business peers, his expression calm and focused. Seth on the other hand, knew that was nothing but a well-crafted mask over his hikari's inner angst.

'If one more of these boorish assholes introduces me to his daughter then I am going to scream!' the brunet thought in frustration.

((Calm yourself _nhy hm-ntr_ (2). It would not do your image any good if you did so.)) Seth sent to his light, switching from possessive, sex-machine to supportive protector instantly in the same, strange manner all yami seemed capable of.

Feeling his dark's soothing, shadowy presence in his mind did indeed help calm the agitated brunet, but not completely. ((Do you think they would get the hint that I'm not interested if I started smacking my head against one the walls?))

Seth chuckled, ((I doubt it. I suspect they could walk in on the middle of you, me, and Jono making love and they would still offer their daughters to you.))

Hiding his smirk behind a water glass Seto replied, ((Speaking from personal experience, Seth?))

Groaning, Seth flopped back onto their hotel room bed. ((Unfortunately, yes. Not that anyone who was not family had ever walked in on us, but yes, both Jono and I frequently had nobles attempting to gain favor and power in court by offering their daughters and sons hands in marriage.))

((Did they not realize you were a _kkwy_?!)) the teen sent indignantly to his other half.

((They did. But they thought that since Jono was my husband and not my _akhu_, that I might be tempted into taking another. Then there were those that were aware of Jono's position in court and hoped to tempt him away instead. None that tried seemed to understand that our loving Jono was a rare event in itself. Most didn't even consider that you were part of the equation. They simply thought that because you were younger, you would do whatever I wanted.)) Seth laughed to express to Seto just how ridiculous he found that notion. Even in their first life, Seto had been a strong-minded child with a strength of character rarely seen in one so young.

Catching a flash of pink in his peripheral vision, Seto couldn't help but groan and roll his eyes mentally. ((Oh kami, **he's** here.))

Picking up on his light's irritation Seth inquired, ((Who's here, my light?))

((Someone I had hoped to avoid, Seth.)) Seto replied absently while scanning the crowd. ((I haven't seen him since we were children, but I've heard things . . . He took over his father's company this year so I knew this would be a possibility.))

"Seto Kaiba, how good it is to see you again! It's been what, nine, ten years now?"

"It's been nine, Schroider-san." Seto replied to the man who had just addressed him. 'Not nearly long enough.'

Like Seto, Siegfried von Schroider was the teenage CEO of a game company. But unlike Kaiba Corporation, Schroider Corporation had always been a gaming company. One that Siegfried had inherited from his father just as Seto had inherited Kaiba Corp from his adopted father.

Fortunately for Seto, further pleasantries with the irritating teen were delayed as another of their peers approached them and engaged both teens in conversation. Taking advantage of their distraction, Seto decided to take time to allow Seth a chance to view Siegfried through his eyes so he could form his own opinion of the German CEO. Concealing his amusement behind his business mask, he couldn't help but feel just a little smug. He'd felt the shock from his darkness, followed quickly by confusion at the other's appearance. Siegfried did tend to have that effect on people.

((_akhu_? Is that normal attire for men of his country?)) The other teen had waist-length pink hair with straight bangs covering his forehead and made his bright aqua eyes stand out, but this wasn't what had stunned the yami. It was the dark rose-pink suit the other teen was wearing.

((No. Schroider just likes to get as much attention as he can, in any way possible.))

((I see.))

Their silent conversation was cut short when the man who'd interrupted them before said, "If you'll excuse us Kaiba-san, I'd like to introduce Schroider-san to an acquaintance of mine."

"Of course," Seto replied, shaking the man's hand. Anything to get away from the other teen.

((You know he's going to try and foist his daughter off on him right?))

Seto inwardly smirked, ((Of course.))

"I suppose we will just have to catch up later then, Kaiba-san," the German teen said regretfully, giving the Japanese teen a short bow before offering his hand. Reluctantly, Seto returned the bow before taking a firm grip on Siegfried's hand.

No one could have guessed what happened next.

As the two young men gripped hands, the equivalent of a mental shock jolted through them both. For Seto it was over as quickly as it had started, but it was another story all together for Siegfried. In an instant, he had dropped Seto's hand to grip his head with both hands as a sharp, jabbing pain pierced him between the eyes. The jabbing sensation continued until the German teen was forced to his knees as the intense pain increased to the point that he felt as though his brains were being crushed to a pulp.

Stunned, Seto and the other guests could only look on in horror as the hotel staff quickly carried the now-writhing CEO out of the dining hall and to his room while the hotel manager called for paramedics.

Still in shock, Seto stared at the now-vacant spot where his business rival had crumpled to the floor. What had come over the man?! One moment they were shaking hands and the next . . . ((Did-did I do that?!)) he unconsciously sent, fearful that his still-new abilities might have somehow harmed the other teen.

((NO! No my light, you did nothing to him. Whatever caused his collapse was not your magic.)) Seth declared vehemently. ((It was just a coincidence.))

((Could he have had some sort of pre-existing condition?))

((It is possible, my light. But there's something about him . . something I don't like.))

Seto snorted mentally ((That makes two of us. He's a spoiled brat who loves to flaunt his wealth at every opportunity. Worse, his business practices and product lines are completely uninventive. Supposedly he's a genius, but I've yet to see any proof of that beyond his test scores.))

((I see.)) And while he heartily agreed with his light's assessment of the other man, he couldn't help but feel unnerved. Having felt the other teen's aura through his light, he had sensed something that had instantly caused the hair on the back of his neck to stand on end. There was something familiar in that aura, and whatever it was the former High Priest felt it did not bode well for their future.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Hours after his collapse, Siegfried still writhed on his bed mindlessly, the relentless agony in his skull unimpeded by the powerful pain killers the doctors had given him. They had tried to get him to go the hospital, but the teen had refused, wresting control over the pain just long enough to throw them out before collapsing again.

Visions had been flooding his mind relentlessly in a violent torrent, forcing him to relive a life, millennia gone. Then, as if a switch had been flipped, the visions stopped and aqua eyes snapped open, a disturbing clarity shining in them.

Sitting up he gingerly rubbed the ridge between his eyes as his headache slowly subsided. Able to think clearly once more, he began to methodically sort through the information that had just been dumped into his mind and came to several startling revelations: First, he finally understood what all those dreams he'd been having were about. They weren't strange flights of fancy or the product of insufficient diet and sleep. No, they were glimpses into his past. A past that now had a great deal of bearing on his current life. Now that he had his memories back he knew exactly why it was that Seto Kaiba irked him so. It wasn't mere jealousy that made him hate the other teen, but a deeply hidden memory of what the Japanese teen really was.

Having touched the other and felt his aura, he knew that it went beyond a physical appearance. Even now, Kaiba not only looked like his sealed darkness, but in his youth had been a dead ringer for his past self!

Getting out of bed and moving to the window, Siegfried opened the shades to gaze at the busy city below. "To think that there are remnants of those human mockeries still hiding in our world!" he growled, lip curling in disgust. He'd gone through so much work to wipe them out of Egypt, only to find one reborn and living successfully amongst humans here in Japan! "Wretched _akhu_! I'll kill you myself, little priest! You and any other abominations that may have returned!"

Calming himself, Siegfried smirked at his reflection in the glass, 'Patience Siegfried, patience. First I should try and locate my acolytes' descendants, they may prove useful and should know the current location of the Sennen Items.' Siegfried's expression turned a bit crazed as he thought, 'Oh how fun it will be to destroy the wretched _akhu_ with power provided by his own _kkwy_!'

"Just you wait, Seto Kaiba. Soon you and all your fellow abominations will be extinct!" he proclaimed, laughing madly.

-

November 09, 2009  
-edited January 13, 2010

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

1 - my light (Ancient Egyptian)

2 - little priest (Ancient Egyptian)


	3. Chapter 3

Just like in Retrieving Destiny, the lemony, unedited version of this chapter can be found on Mediaminer, Adultfanfiction and Little Dragon.

* * *

Title: Evading Destiny  
Part: 3/??  
Author: Murasaki Rose  
Beta: none  
Genre: Romance/Fantasy/AU  
Rating: R  
Spoilers: Yami Yuugi's real name  
Warnings: Yaoi (male x male), implied Mpreg  
Pairings: YYxY, SxJxS, DxT, YBxR, YMxM  
Minor Pairings: BMGxA, BMxK, TxCxH, HxO, PxC, IxM  
Disclaimer: Here we go. Yu-Gi-Oh and all its characters are the property of Kazuki Takahashi, Shueisha, Konami, Toei, and unfortunately, 4 Kids Entertainment. In other words, I don't own them and I'm not making any money off of this, I'm just a fangirl having some fun.  
A/N: "text" = speech, 'text' = thought, ((text)) = telepathy

Summary: Sequel to Retrieving Destiny. Months after their fateful trip to Egypt, Yuugi and his friends have adjusted to life with their ancient soul mates. Things appear to be going well, until just weeks before graduation, a series of bizarre accidents and seemingly random attacks begin plaguing the lights and their protectors! When the teens learn the "accidents" were planned by the same ones responsible for the attacks, their ancient lovers are forced into action. In order to protect their mates, the yami must determine, not only the location of the "lost" city of Atlantis, but also the true fate of their entire species! With new enemies coming at them with increasing power at every turn, will they find the answers they need before it's too late?

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Putting the finishing touches on his masterpieces, Atem carefully placed them on the tray and carefully carried them down the hall. Stopping at the door to what had once been a guest bedroom, the dark teen nudged the door open with his hip and was greeted by a quiet groan from his lover. Inside the small home office, Yuugi sat hunched over the desk, poring over the contents of the packet he and his classmates had received in school today.

"Having trouble, _ari_? (1)"

Giving his neck a quick roll to work out the kinks, Yuugi smiled up at his darkness as the young pharaoh placed the tray on the edge of the desk, being careful not to place it on top of Yuugi's papers. "Not really, _mry_ (2). It's just that going through all these forms is really tedious."

Leaning in to give his lover a chaste kiss, Atem pressed their foreheads together. "Why not take a short break then? I made you a snack."

"I thought I smelled something good," Yuugi replied reaching for one of the tempting treats. "Did you make this these from scratch or did you use a mix?" he asked taking a bite.

"I used a mix this time, _ari_. I would have tried to make them from scratch if I'd started earlier though," Atem admitted, picking up his own treat. Since their return to Japan three months ago, the former ruler of upper and lower Egypt had been diligently learning how to do all the mundane chores his light did. Just recently, he had started cooking. As it turned out, he seemed to have a knack for it.

"They're still good though, koibito (3)," Yuugi reassured his lover taking another bite of his chocolate frosted cupcake.

""Thank you _ari_," Atem replied sincerely. "So what are all these papers for? They don't look like your usual homework," the yami commented, looking over one of the sheets curiously.

Yuugi shook his head, "It's not homework, Atem. These are college pamphlets and applications."

"College?"

Yuugi nodded, "Uh-huh. It's kind of like High School. Except in college you get specified training for the job you want as your career."

"More schooling? How long does it go on?" The Egyptian teen looked appalled by the thought.

Yuugi shrugged, "It depends on the type of degree you want and the school you chose. Most degrees average at about four years, but they can take between two and six years to complete. Then there are a few that take even longer."

His lover looked horrified by the idea, so Yuugi was quick to expand on his explanation, "Humans live a lot longer and have a lot more time available now, Atem. We -they," he corrected himself, "- have time to study things in depth that they couldn't before."

Atem shook his head, "I see, but I still think that apprenticeship was a better system."

"It definitely was for some jobs, that's for sure," the pale teen agreed.

"So what do you want to do?"

The hikari grinned brightly, "Well, I've always loved history so I know I want to do something along those lines." He waved a hand at the stack of papers covering his desk, "the trouble is picking a good school for my chosen field. And narrowing my job choices down. I still haven't decided if I want to be a teacher or go into archaeology. And once I've picked one of those, I still have to decide how deep I want to go into that field. The job choices for both are numerous and branch out all over the place and it's all so interesting-"

Atem laughed and kissed Yuugi to cut him off, "I get the idea, _ari_. I can tell by how excited you are about it." Casting the papers another glance he grinned slyly at his mate, "Do these need to be finished tonight, _mry_?"

Yuugi raised an eyebrow at his mate, "Noooo~" the unspoken 'why' clear in his tone.

Smirking, Atem scooped his light up into his arms, chuckling at the surprised squeal the other teen made. "I was thinking that perhaps you could you use a longer break," he purred sinfully, nipping gently at the pale hikari's neck.

Yuugi smiled and nuzzled under Atem's chin, "You may be right, koibito. I wouldn't want to strain myself now would I?"

Catching the mischievous light in his hikari's eyes, Atem laughed heartily and carried his light out of the room and down the short hallway to their bedroom.

Striding smoothly into the room, Atem closed the door behind them with one foot, then placed his beloved light down on the full-sized canopy bed that now graced their bedroom. Centered below the sky light, the bed had no canopy top, allowing them to gaze out the sky light at night. In place of the traditional canopy, it had been draped with layers of a sheer, royal blue fabric giving the bed and room an ethereal, yet still masculine look. The cherry wood armoire and bedside tables completing the look of the re-designed bedroom Sugoroku had allowed them to create for themselves

Sliding to the center of the bed, Yuugi looked up invitingly at his darkness. "Care to join me?"

"Always _ari_," Atem replied, crawling onto the bed and over his hikari, not stopping until he was straddling the pale teen.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

As a side effect of recovering his memories, Siegfried found himself filled with a new sense of determination. Galvanized, the teen threw himself into his work before the convention was over. His first order of business was the need to create a schedule that would most efficiently divide his time between Schroider Corp and practicing his old skills. The reincarnated sorcerer had quickly realized that even though his mind was filled with the memories of his life as Amahte, his current body had none of the experience needed to use it. It would take a great deal of practice and patience before he would be capable of using his powers to their full potential once more. Siegfried planned on using his training period to his advantage though. He would use this time to investigate and root out any of the other abominations that may have been reincarnated as well as seek out any newly born ones. From what he could remember, most of the creatures came from parents that were _akhu_ and _kkwy_ themselves so if there was more than one reincarnated light in Japan the odds of more of their species existing was quite high.

When he arrived home Siegfried had wasted no time, heading straight for his office to do research. He wanted to find if any descendents of his acolytes still practiced his teachings, but in this modern day and age, they would likely be well hidden. But for his plans to succeed their assistance would be vital, especially if Seto proved to be one of many reincarnated _akhu_. Most importantly, he wanted to know the location of the items. He had entrusted them with his successor, but after thousands of years their true worth had more than likely been lost to time.

Hours later, he had some promising leads on his acolytes' descendants but with his head pounding from the strain on his eyes he knew it was time to rest. Shutting down his computer, the young CEO left his office to head intent on going to bed when a sleep-laden voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Big brother? When did you get back?"

Startled, Siegfried turned to see his younger brother Leon standing in the hall outside of his bedroom. His long magenta hair mussed from sleep, the boy rubbed his muted-gold eyes tiredly, looking far younger than his true age of eleven. Always a light sleeper, Leon had been woken by the sound of the door shutting and had gone to investigate. The last thing he'd expected to see was his older brother leaving his office. Siegfried never worked this late.

"Go to bed Leon, I'll speak with you after breakfast tomorrow," the pink-haired CEO ordered as he strode down the hall to his bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

"Big brother," Leon murmured, staring down the hall after the teen, "What has happened to you?"

Inside his room, Siegfried leaned with his back against the door, his aqua eyes closed as he heard his brother's whispered question. It warmed his heart that his brother noticed and cared about the changes in his personality, despite his recent neglect.

'Do not worry my brother. I will cleanse this world of those disgusting creatures masquerading in human form and make it safe and perfect for you and all humans.' the reincarnated sorcerer promised silently.

-

November 16, 2009  
-re-edited January 31, 2010

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

A/N: And the first lemon goes to Atem and Yuugi! *_hentai grin_*

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

1 - partner (Ancient Egyptian)

2 - mry - beloved (Ancient Egyptian)

3 - koibito - lover (Japanese)


	4. Chapter 4

Eeep! *_ducks flying produce_* I know. I know. It's been quite a while since I posted the last chapter. Sorry about that. I did meet my one chapter per month minimum though. *_crosses fingers_* Hopefully, I'll have chapter 5 finished before the end of the month.

Oh, there's a major threesome lemon in the unedited version on LittleDragon, my Mediaminer, and Adultfanfiction accounts.

* * *

Title: Evading Destiny  
Part: 4/??  
Author: Murasaki Rose  
Beta: none  
Genre: Romance/Fantasy/AU  
Rating: R  
Spoilers: Yami Yuugi's real name  
Warnings: Yaoi (male x male), implied Mpreg  
Pairings: YYxY, SxJxS, DxT, YBxR, YMxM  
Minor Pairings: BMGxA, BMxK, TxCxH, HxO, PxC, IxM  
Disclaimer: Here we go. Yu-Gi-Oh and all its characters are the property of Kazuki Takahashi, Shueisha, Konami, Toei, and unfortunately, 4 Kids Entertainment. In other words, I don't own them and I'm not making any money off of this, I'm just a fangirl having some fun.  
A/N: "text" = speech, 'text' = thought, ((text)) = telepathy

Summary: Sequel to Retrieving Destiny. Months after their fateful trip to Egypt, Yuugi and his friends have adjusted to life with their ancient soul mates. Things appear to be going well, until just weeks before graduation, a series of bizarre accidents and seemingly random attacks begin plaguing the lights and their protectors! When the teens learn the "accidents" were planned by the same ones responsible for the attacks, their ancient lovers are forced into action. In order to protect their mates, the yami must determine, not only the location of the "lost" city of Atlantis, but also the true fate of their entire species! With new enemies coming at them with increasing power at every turn, will they find the answers they need before it's too late?

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Disregarding the unsettling episode with Siegfried, the rest of the convention went without incident. At the unveiling and demonstration of his new Duel Disk systems, he had received high accolades from his colleagues over the improved quality of the graphics system. That, in addition to the lighter weight design, netted him several new contracts and quite a few jealous glares. Seth had nearly fallen off the bed laughing over his light's mental gloating. It never failed to amuse him how egotistical his light was in this incarnation, the teen was nearly as bad as Seth himself!

Still, the whole convention was exhausting and it was with a great deal of relief that Seto and Seth returned to Domino. Walking across the tarmac the duo spotted Mokuba and Jonouchi, the former bouncing in place, waiting for them at the gate. Seconds later and the weary pair's arms were filled with two energetic bundles of joy. While Seto hugged his little brother, Seth took the opportunity to give his husband a deep, wet, welcoming kiss, one the blond enthusiastically returned. Pulling apart with a wet smack the blond grinned up at the former High Priest. Now that was a hello! Opening his mouth to say something in greeting he found himself rudely but not un-welcomingly pulled out of his possessive husband's embrace and into Seto's, his mouth ruthlessly plundered by his equally possessive boyfriend.

Skipping over to give Seth a hug, Mokuba grinned at the embracing pair of teens. "I take it you guys both missed us?"

"As much as you missed us, I'd wager," Seth replied, hugging the small boy back. Beside them, Seto finally released Jou's mouth, leaving the blond looking flushed and a bit dazed. Mokuba rolled his eyes as the yami and hikari shared a smug grin, sometimes his brothers could be so predictable!

"How about we go to Shironegi (1) Ramen shop for lunch before we head home?" Seto suggested once the blond had recovered. Mokuba whooped in delight and Jou dragged pulled the auburn-haired male into another deep kiss to show his appreciation. Much to the light's frustration he was pulled away from his puppy's addictive lips by an insistent and hungry Mokuba.

"C'mon nii-sama! You and Jonouchi-nii can make out in the limo! I wanna get there before it gets busy!"

Glancing down at his watch, Jou eeped and grabbing Seto's free arm with one hand and Seth's with the other, practically dragged his lovers to the limo. "Mokuba's right, we gotta hurry!

Silently chuckling, the yami and hikari let their brother and lover drag them to their waiting limo, the excited duo's exuberance obliterating the two brunets' fatigue.

While the small family rode to their destination, Mokuba began to tell the his brothers' about his week at school, including the research project his class had been assigned for history. He'd already completed his outline and was halfway into his rough draft and the project wasn't even due until the end of the following week! Seto was quite pleased and proud of his little brother, and made sure to tell him just that. By that time the group had arrived and they all piled out of the limo with Jonouchi in the lead.

On the outside the place appeared to be just another ramen stand, but as Jonouchi had sworn up and down the first time he dragged them there, back when he and Seto had first started dating, they served the best ramen in town.

"Oi, Shiro-san!" Jonouchi called out to the shop keeper.

Looking up the older man's face lit up, "Ah, I see you've brought your whole family with you again, ne Jonouchi-kun?" he commented with a smile.

"You bet!"

Amused by the blond's exuberance, the shop keeper shouted back an order of "One Jonouchi family special!" before setting four places at the stand's counter. The small family quickly seated them selves on the stools and made small talk about the rest of their week. Seto was quite pleased to learn that Mokuba wasn't the only one who'd stayed caught up on his school work although his delight was dampened by Jonouchi's telling them about all the college applications and packets that their class had been inundated with.

The two brunets then began telling the other two about their week in Tokyo. Seto had talked animatedly about how well their presentation and demo had gone and how enjoyable the discussions with the other designers and programmers had been. But just as he was getting to the business part of their trip (or as Jou would put it, the boring part) their food arrived and the boys' stomachs took priority. As lunch progressed their discussions moved away from the trip and Seth forgot about the odd incident with Siegfried all together.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Laying face down on their bed, Otogi kicked his feet idly in the air while he waited for his lover to finish showering. He had already entered said shower, distracted his _akhu_, and cleaned himself up afterwards, before leaving his flustered light to continue his shower unmolested. Hearing the water shut off, he decided it had been long enough for Hiroto to have regained his composure and decided to contact his mate. ((We're on our own today love, so what did you want to do today?))

((Really?)) Honda asked, turning on the hair dryer. ((I knew Jou and Mokuba were picking up Seto and Seth, but where did the others head off to?))

((Well, Kisara and Mahaado are off looking at bedroom sets for when they move in with our pharaoh and the knights are spending the day with Dartz and Tryphon.))

((Huh. . . so do you want to just hang around town today?))

Unseen by his mate, Otogi grinned, ((Can we get some takoyaki (2)?)) he asked hopefully.

Honda smiled and shook his head. ((Sure koi.)) His mate had grown quite fond of the food since he had tried them at the first Japanese festival they had attended together. ((We'll stop by the market and hit the street vendors there. We can have our whole lunch out there.))

Bounding into the bathroom, Otogi glomped onto his light and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "You're so sweet _mrw-t_ (3). I'll go get your clothes ready okay?"

"All right," Honda responded to his dark's retreating form, already looking forward to their afternoon.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Hours later all the current residents of the Kaiba mansion had returned and gathered for a fantastic "welcome home" dinner before scattering off for the evening. For Seto, Seth, and Katsuya that meant watching a movie with Mokuba before he had to go to bed. Of course with Seto and Seth being so close to the one they had been denied for an entire week, poor Jou spent almost the entire movie fending off their wandering hands. As the credits rolled, the blond _ms-n hwi_ leapt off the couch and made a break for the stairs, shouting back a hasty excuse about wanting to get his shower out of the way.

Shaking his head and sighing, Mokuba grabbed his brothers' hands and tugged them after him. "Since Jonouchi-nii is busy, you two can tuck me in tonight," he told them, hoping he could buy the blond enough time to barricade the door.

Easily deducing the pre-teen's plot, the two brunets went along with him regardless, knowing that no matter how much time Mokuba bought him, Katsuya would not escape.

-

November 18, 2009  
-edited March 12, 2010

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

1 - white spring onion (Japanese)

2 - round, fried dumpling with octopus filling

3 - love (Ancient Egyptian)


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Evading Destiny  
Part: 5/??  
Author: Murasaki Rose  
Beta: none  
Genre: Romance/Fantasy/AU  
Rating: R  
Spoilers: Yami Yuugi's real name  
Warnings: Yaoi (male x male), implied Mpreg  
Pairings: YYxY, SxJxS, DxT, YBxR, YMxM  
Minor Pairings: BMGxA, BMxK, TxCxH, HxO, PxC, IxM  
Disclaimer: Here we go. Yu-Gi-Oh and all its characters are the property of Kazuki Takahashi, Shueisha, Konami, Toei, and unfortunately, 4 Kids Entertainment. In other words, I don't own them and I'm not making any money off of this, I'm just a fangirl having some fun.  
A/N: "text" = speech, 'text' = thought, ((text)) = telepathy

Summary: Sequel to Retrieving Destiny. Months after their fateful trip to Egypt, Yuugi and his friends have adjusted to life with their ancient soul mates. Things appear to be going well, until just weeks before graduation, a series of bizarre accidents and seemingly random attacks begin plaguing the lights and their protectors! When the teens learn the "accidents" were planned by the same ones responsible for the attacks, their ancient lovers are forced into action. In order to protect their mates, the yami must determine, not only the location of the "lost" city of Atlantis, but also the true fate of their entire species! With new enemies coming at them with increasing power at every turn, will they find the answers they need before it's too late?

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Placing their dishes in the sink, Dartz smiled as his daughter went to go wash her hands. The former king had successfully made lunch for the family today and was feeling what was now a familiar sense of accomplishment. His light's mother had referred to it as "domestic pride". Whatever term one used to describe it, did not lessen how warm and content it made him feel. Heading down the hall to collect his light's dishes, he was greeted at the door by a tired groan. Seated at his desk, Tomoya had removed his glasses and was kneading the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger, his eyes squeezed tightly shut.

Coming up behind him, Dartz rested his hands on the teen's slender shoulders and dropped a gentle kiss on to the messy light orange locks. "Problems love?"

Tilting his head back and smiling tiredly up at his mate, Tomoya shook his head. "No, not really. There just doesn't seem to be an end to all this college paperwork."

Gently massaging the teen's shoulders, Dartz regarded the mass stack of papers before coming to a decision: "Why don't you take the afternoon off then?"

Sensing his light's interest, the older man continued, "We can take Chris to the park and let her run around while we get some sun."

Tomoya grinned, "I'm sold." Standing up, he started to work out the kinks in his back, pausing mid-stretch as something occurred to him, " We better have the knights come with us or they'll have a collective aneurysm."

Laughing Dartz cuddled his mate, "True. I should probably go call them right now so they have time to get over here."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Staring at the park filled with laughing and playing children, the three legendary knights could not help but be horrified. When their king had summoned them with news of their outing, the three men had been delighted that they were not being left in the dark again. (The last time they heard that the small family had gone somewhere with out guards, they had freaked out. Who knew what kind of dangers were lurking in this world?!)

"My lords, have we done something to displease you?" Timaues asked warily as he Criteaus and Hermos stared in numb, horrified fascination at the sight before them.

"No of course not, why do you ask?" Dartz replied, his gold eyes sparkling with mischief. He knew exactly why the knights were so unnerved.

The group had only been at the park for five minutes and already the three men were stressing. From a bodyguard's point of view, the park was a virtual nightmare. Keeping track of their three charges while monitoring such a large the area for danger would be immensely difficult. Of course if any one could handle it, it was these three men, but still. . . It was a nightmarish situation. Adding to their stress was the group of the children Chris had run off to play with. Apparently, they were her majesty's playmates from school.

"No reason," Timaues replied, struggling not to grimace.

Shaking his head, Dartz set out to reassure his knights. "You can relax gentlemen. Chris is in no danger from her classmates and she'll easily burn off all her excess energy running around with them. In the meantime, Tomoya and I will take a short walk. Within earshot, I assure you," he promised.

Leading his hikari towards the closest foot path he called back, "Just remember, they're only children."

Resigned to their fate, the three men settled in for what looked to be a long afternoon.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

While the knights were distracted with watching over a happily playing Chris, Tomoya and Dartz took the opportunity to enjoy a short walk. Domino park was filled with walking and bike paths, some short, some very long. There was a nice short one that circled the playground where Chris was and for the knight's sake, the former king and queen took that route. As they walked, Tomoya couldn't help but remember the last time he and Dartz had just left while the knights weren't paying attention. The three men had freaked out so badly he feared they might end up having a panic attack.

Relishing in the semi-tranquility of the park (there was only so much tranquility to be found around children after all) Tomoya rested his head on Dartz' shoulder and heaved a contented sigh.

"Feeling better love?"

"100% better koi. We should have done this days ago."

Dartz chuckled softly at his love, "We would have if it had occurred to me."

The two walked in a companionable silence for a time before Dartz spoke again, "Have you come any closer to making a decision?"

"Slightly. I managed to narrow my choices a bit, but there's still so many branches to chose from."

"You were one of the best scholars in Atlantis, no matter what you choose, I know you will be amazing." Dartz reassured the teen.

"Thank you for the vote of confidence dear. I really do appreciate it," Tomoya replied honestly. "Things are just so much more complicated now a days."

Dartz couldn't help but laugh at that. When he made statements like that his mate sounded like the council elders!

"Ha ha, very funny," Tomoya drawled, knowing exactly what his lover was laughing about. "But I stand by my statement. Before I could just be a scholar without having to divide my choices so much. Now, I've got so many different fields to be a scholar in that I'm having a difficult time deciding." Seeing his husband was being serious again, the orange-haired hikari continued, "Now a days, people are expected to specialize in what ever field they choose. I mean look at Yuugi-kun: he wants to study history, but that's got a huge field of diversity.

Seeing the silent, "go on" in his lover's expression, the small teen continued, "Let's say he decides to be a history teacher. From there he'll have to decide what age of students and the type of history he'll want to teach. I mean, if it's just high school or younger, he could go with general history with a minor in world history, although he could specialize . . . but if he wants to teach college, then he still has to chose between general history or a more specific field and at the college level the choices are nearly limitless. And that same type of decision making will have to be done by all of us once we leave high school."

Dartz considered this, "How can you make these decisions when you have limited knowledge. How can they expect you to make these kind of life-defining decisions so quickly?"

Tomoya smiled, "It's not as bad as you think. We can change our major at any point in our studies and can even chose to work for more than one degree. Plus, there's a lot of general education classes that every student has to take. Those fill up most of the first year and part of the succeeding years. Those can also help steer you down the right career path.

Dartz nodded sagely, "That sounds good. I was wondering though . . . have you given any thought to expanding our family?"

Tomoya smiled and blushed demurely, "I have. I also remember us discussing this before. . . "

"Ah yes, we did. But you never gave me a definitive answer, love."

Looking to their daughter playing in the distance, the teen smiled, "I know. And I have given it a lot of thought." he paused and took a deep breath. "I'd love to expand our family, but not until I've finished at least one year of college."

Laughing happily, Dartz scooped his reincarnated mate up into his arms and spun him around joyfully.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Standing in front of the large mahogany desk that dominated Siegfried's private office, a middle-aged man of Egyptian descent waited patiently for the doors to close. This was a conversation not meant for other ears.

Once Siegfried had returned to sit behind his desk, the man felt it safe enough to speak. "I must admit, I was surprised when you contacted us. You are the first person in centuries to make contact with our group directly."

"I can imagine," the young businessman replied.

The man cleared his throat before continuing, "Ours is an ancient following, dating back over three thousand years and for the last four hundred years, not one member has come from outside the family."

"Curious, for a group that once held so much power," Siegfried commented, being careful to hide just how much this particular fact vexed him.

The man coughed, "Yes, well over the centuries some family lines have had few children or simply ended. Then once the Age of Enlightenment took force our group had to go almost completely underground in order to survive. It finally reached the point that recruiting new members became dangerously impractical." he told the other man, wondering silently to himself how the other could have known their group had once held power. Had he gained information from an outside source or was the teen merely bluffing?

Siegfried's eyes narrowed, "What of the Sennen Items? They should have granted your ancestors more than enough power to maintain control."

The man's expression remained neutral, though his eyes did briefly betray the shock he felt. How could this teen possibly know that it was their cult that once held the Items? "What do you know of the Items, boy?!"

Siegfried leapt to his feet, "What do I know of the Items?! WHAT DO I KNOW?!" he roared, turquoise eyes flashing with rage. "You have no right to question ME!! NOW, TELL ME WHAT BECAME OF THE SENNEN ITEMS!!!"

Stunned by Siegfried's fury, the man answered shakily, "Th-they were stolen. Roughly five hundred years after our cult conquered Egypt, their wielders were slaughtered and the Items disappeared. It was believed that the human descendants of the _kkwy_ Atem's court were responsible, but they had vanished long before the Items did."

"STOLEN!! How could those incompetent fools allow items of such immense power to ALL be stolen!" the teen raged.

Furious, the man retorted, "Who are you to make such allegations at my ancestors!"

Power glowing all around him, Siegfried von Schroider slammed the older man against the wall with his magic. Stunned, he slumped to the ground, lifting his head to stare at the furious teen before him. "I am the very reason your following exists! If had not gathered your ancestors and trained them in the arts, then they would still be under the thumb of those accursed _kkwy _and _akhu_! I was the one who found the spells that could seal them away! I was the one that risked my own life and soul to gather the ingredients necessary to make them! And it was I who planned and led the charge against the palace!"

Siegfried's words chilled the man to the bone, this teenager, with no connections to their group what so ever, was speaking of things known only to the highest members of their cult. But none of them possessed power like this! Struggling to his knees, the man uttered a name in awe before prostrating himself before the young CEO. "Master Amahte."

Mollified by the man's reaction, Siegfried's rage dissipated, "Rise my servant." Turning his back on the older man he walked over to the picture window, "It seems my rebirth has come at a most urgent time. I have recently learned that one of the _akhu_ we exterminated has been reborn and I suspect there may be others. Likely they still believe they are human so we must take steps to eradicate them before they realize their power."

The man looked horrified, "The _akhu_ have returned?"

"One at the very least. My business rival, Seto Kaiba is the reincarnation of High Priest Seth's _akhu_. When I touched his hand at a recent business luncheon his powers unlocked my past memories."

"Should we deal with him now?"

"No. Kaiba is powerful and influential in both the business and gaming world. Should something happen to him, the other _akhu_ would know immediately and could go into hiding. No. We must determine where how many of them have returned before we take action."

"Where should we begin?"

Picking up a dossier off his desk, Siegfried tossed it to the man, "I have been doing a little research into that myself. Start with these four duelists. Not only do they bear a disturbing resemblance to figures from my memory but they are also located in the very same city as Kaiba."

Opening up the folder, the man was surprised when he recognized the faces within, they were some of the best duelists in the world. Shaking his head in awe he stared down at the school pictures of: Katsuya Jonouchi, Mai Kujaku, Ryou Bakura, and the King of Games himself, Yuugi Mutou.

"Jonouchi and Kujaku are without a doubt the _akhu_ Mie and Seth's _ms-n hwi_ husband Jono. The only change they seem to have suffered is the pale skin they've acquired from being Japanese born. Bakura and Mutou I am less sure of. Bakura was a child back then and Mutou an infant, but their resemblance to their _kkwy_ is too uncanny not to investigate," Siegfried explained.

The man bowed deeply, "I will get our men on it immediately, my master." He turned to leave but stopped when he was addressed again.

"One more thing. Before we begin I want you to summon the others. I will assess them individually for magical talent before determining who I will train first. Then those that are not training will divide their time between tracking down the _akhu_ and learning where those traitorous tomb keepers have hidden the Sennen Items."

"As you wish, my master," the man replied, bowing once more before exiting the room.

Turning back to the picture window, Siegfried made a silent vow to himself, 'This time I'll make sure those creatures stay dead.'

-

November 20, 2009  
~re-edited: April 6, 2010

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o


	6. Chapter 6

I know. I know. It's been a month. But I did say I'd post a minimum of one chapter per month, so at least I'm still on schedule.

I probably could have pulled off two chapters if I hadn't been getting ready for A-kon 21. If you're going to be there look for me and my sister, we're cosplaying as Bulma and Chichi from Dragonball. (I'll be Bulma.)

* * *

Title: Evading Destiny  
Part: 6/?  
Author: Murasaki Rose  
Beta: none  
Genre: Romance/Fantasy/AU  
Rating: NC-17  
Spoilers: Yami Yuugi's real name  
Warnings: Yaoi (male x male), implied Mpreg  
Pairings: YYxY, SxJxS, DxT, YBxR, YMxM  
Minor Pairings: BMGxA, BMxK, TxCxH, HxO, PxC, IxM  
Disclaimer: Here we go. Yu-Gi-Oh and all its characters are the property of Kazuki Takahashi, Shueisha, Konami, Toei, and unfortunately, 4 Kids Entertainment. In other words, I don't own them and I'm not making any money off of this, I'm just a fangirl having some fun.  
A/N: "text" = speech, 'text' = thought, ((text)) = telepathy

Summary: Sequel to Retrieving Destiny. Months after their fateful trip to Egypt, the reunited soul mates continue to adjust to their new life in Domino as well as the modern teens' impending graduation. Things appear to be going well until a strange series of seemingly random attacks and bizarre accidents begin plaguing both the lights and their protectors, forcing their lovers into action. In order to protect their mates, the ancient beings must now determine not only the fate of the "lost" city of Atlantis, but also their entire species! The race is on to find the answers before they all face annihilation at the hands of an unknown enemy.

Author Note: I've finally settled on a shipping name for Dartz and Hanasaki. See I've been doing some poking around and have learned that apparently no one has ever used this pairing before, so I needed to give it a "shipping" name. After much thought and internal debate, I've decided to name the pairing: legendshipping. If you know of another cannon pairing that uses this name, let me know and I'll come up with something else, but as far as I know, there are no pairings/relationships with this title. (Gx and 5Ds does not count. Those are different series and I believe I've seen a couple shipping names from the original list in those too, again correct me if I'm wrong.) Just to repeat, I'm calling the Dartz x Hanasaki pairing: Legendshipping. ^_^v

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Two weeks had passed since Siegfried had met with Kadir, the representative of his acolytes' descendants and much had changed since then. The first order of business was meeting with the elders.

Understandably, they were more than a little suspicious of Siegfried's claims and had demanded proof of his claim. Coordinating between them, Kadir tackled the difficult task of arranging for them to meet in a neutral location that both sides approved of.

It took Siegfried all of sixty seconds to convince them of his true identity.

With that out of the way, he ordered a gathering of all his acolytes in order to cement his leadership and begin the next phase in his plans. To his utter disdain, the full number of men, and they were ALL men, totaled less than one hundred. He had commanded more than three times that number when he took the throne and had increased the people in his following to numbers in the thousands by the time of his death. Looking over the outdated charters, he quickly spotted several problems, first being the exclusion of women: Some of his best sorcerers were women and his best strategist had been a woman as well. Other problems included the addition of odd rituals and qualifications clearly set to elitist standards that left the common man in the dust. This would not do. This would not do at all.

Even with the scant numbers, he still had enough men to begin. Dividing the best of them into three groups, he set them to their tasks: The most intelligent of the men were sent to Egypt, in order to locate and retrieve the Sennen Items. The power the Items would give them would be a definite asset to their weakened group. For the men who were the least conspicuous and most discrete, their destination was Domino City, Japan. Siegfried wanted to know exactly how many _akhu_ and _ms-n hwi_ had been reincarnated and if they had accessed any of their powers yet. Finally, the most charismatic and personable men were charged with the task of recruiting new members. Throwing out the old charters, Siegfried gave them HIS restrictions on who or who not to recruit. A few of the older members had protested at this, but were quickly silenced by a well-placed blast of magic.

In just under a week the men he'd sent to Egypt returned with dire news: the Items were no longer in Egypt. By infiltrating the archaeological dig site at the old capital of Memphis, his agents had found one of the tomb guardians and had extracted what information they could before disposing of him. From their "informant" they learned that under the guise of a school trip, the Sennen Items and the Orichalos pendant had been placed in the care of six high school students and one college student.

Upon learning what had occurred the sorcerer threw a fit that rivaled a raging thunderstorm, flinging furniture about and breaking nearly every item in his office in the process. Once he managed to calm himself, the young CEO ordered his men to find out who these students were and where they had come from. It didn't take long for them to confirm his suspicions, the students had come from Domino High and Domino University.

Over the last two weeks, his agents in Japan had been keeping him fully updated by sending him regular reports on their findings. Setting the latest report back onto his desk, Siegfried turned in his chair to face the outer window. His acolytes had just confirmed the worst of his fears: the _akhu_ he had first killed in Khemet had all returned and were in possession of the Items! They had only seen two Items so far, the puzzle and the tauk, but the other _akhu_ were on the list of students from the dig.

A deep sense of frustration welled up in the teenage CEO, after all the work he'd done in his previous life, all his accomplishments had been undone! All of the training, the sacrifices, the years of agonizing work! . . and he would have to do it all over again.

Well, not everything perhaps.

It seemed that despite the _akhu's_ return, their species had greatly reduced in number. And in this day and age, the creatures would have to remain in hiding for fear of being captured or killed by the authorities. Even better he knew that they had no where to hide since the shining city of Atlantis was no more. He'd seen to that personally.

Not long after he had successfully secured his position as the new pharaoh of Khemet, he had faced a challenge greater than any he had faced before: the fearsome army of Atlantis. The people of Atlantis had not taken kindly to the assassination of the entire royal family and under the command of former King Ironheart, the entire Atlantean royal army had descended upon the palace, determined to get revenge for their fallen royals and their allies.

The battle was long and difficult, especially with humans from the former pharaoh's court sabotaging their efforts from within. Things had gone considerably better once they ferreted out last of the human traitors, but the battle was still long and ugly. In the end, Amahte and his sorcerers triumphed over the Atlantean army, driving them back into their own lands to lick their wounds. Then to protect themselves from any future conflict, and to show the fate of any who betrayed the human race, he and his sorcerers, escorted by their finest warriors, marched to Atlantis and destroyed the floating city. Amahte's only regret was that the final spell had been so powerful that it had obliterated any trace of the once beautiful stronghold. He would have liked to have watched the twisted rubble crash into the ocean.

With Atlantis gone, Siegfried knew that the reborn Atlantean Queen Tryphon, now Tomoya Hanasaki, had far less power than he had before. Even if he had his king to assist him. Besides the Atlantean, there seemed to be a total of six _akhu_ and two _ms-n hwi_ that had been reincarnated: Yuugi Mutou was without a doubt the pharaoh's light and would be the most powerful of the group. The petite King of Games had been seen wearing the completed Sennen Puzzle, a feat neither Amahte nor his acolyte's had been able to accomplish, and doubtlessly had set the _per-aA _(1) Atem free.

The _akhu_ and _ms-n hwi_ pair: Seto Kaiba and Katsuya Jonouchi, were together and Siegfried highly suspected that the other CEO had been reunited with his darkness. It would explain why the Japanese teen had magic flowing through his aura. The idea of facing the pharaoh, his high priest, and the king of Atlantis again, left a bad taste in his mouth.

Adding to his frustrations were the four other lights his men had found in Domino: Hiroto Honda, Mai Kujaku, Ryou Bakura, and Malik Ishtar, plus the _ms-n hwi_ Anzu. Power wise, he wasn't as worried about them as he was the others. The _kkwy_ Bakura and Marik were powerful, but not on the same level as the pharaoh and his high priest. The other three and their mates were of inconsequential strength. Annoying, but nothing he couldn't handle even at his current strength.

Knowing that surprise would be their best defense, Siegfried knew that attacking them quickly with multiple target hits would be the best way to remain undetected for the longest stretch of time. Fortunately for them, most of _akhu_ attended the same school and hung out together frequently, making them easy prey. Now if they could arrange a few "accidents" . . .

Summoning his men best suited for his job, Siegfried carefully laid out the foundation for their plans. "We must act with extreme caution and discretion," he warned them. "If the _kkwy_ become aware of an active threat to their _akhu_, they will react violently in their defense. These creatures rely on one another, in an almost symbiotic state. Kill one and you make the other vulnerable to attack. However, if these creatures become aware that someone is actively hunting them we will have to battle them magically."

"But Master, you were able to defeat them before-"one acolyte began to say.

Faster than he could see, a hand whipped out and struck his face. "Silence you fool! When I defeated the pharaoh and his priests, I had invested years of my life into planning my attack! The sorcerers working for me had trained almost non-stop for years in preparation for our glorious battle! Even the strongest of you are mere novices in comparison! The pharaoh's _akhu_ has successfully completed the Sennen Puzzle which means the pharaoh is free and he will surely have released the others. And unlike their _akhu_, they have the benefit of a lifetime of training!" he roared at the man cringing before him.

Calming himself he addressed the whole group, "No. We shall begin subtly. Kill as many of the wretched, untrained _akhu_ as possible without raising their suspicions, while the rest of us continue to recruit and train."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

_Unaware of the impending danger, life continued normally in Domino . . ._

"So would you like to explain how this happened to me again?" Malik asked, gesturing with his hand to Marik's entire multi-colored body.

"Not especially," the yami replied meekly from his seat on the lid of their toilet, being careful not to make eye contact with his hikari. Fearing his own safety he'd tried checking Malik's mood through their link, but his light had erected a barrier, albeit a weak one, that the dark currently did not want to try and get around. Especially if Malik was angry.

What Marik didn't know was that there was a very good reason for the Malik to keep his end of the link blocked off. He really didn't want his poor dark to know just how funny he thought this was. It seemed that the mischievous darkness had finally gotten his just desserts for all the pranks he'd played on his older sister.

Marik looked so sheepish that it was taking him a supreme amount of effort not to laugh, but his lover was making it so hard! Even after the teen had managed to clean off the assorted makeup, paints, and creams from his mate, he still hadn't gotten the bright pink hair dye out of the cornsilk-blond colored spikes of hair that adorned his yami's head.

Even with the earlier explanations Malik had pried out of Marik, he still wasn't entirely clear as to what had occurred. All he knew for sure was that Marik and Bakura had gotten bored (a dangerous thing at any time) and had snuck off to cause mischief at Isis' and Mai's home only to have their entire scheme blown back in their faces by the older women.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"You realize that you're going to clean the tub out when we've finished, right?" Ryou asked his darkness as he scrubbed vigorously at a particularly stubborn blotch of green on his yami's back.

Grateful that his hikari wasn't angry and that he wasn't being scolded, Bakura nodded docily. When he and Marik had returned home, dripping paint, dye and assorted other things they'd expected the worst. Thankfully both lights had simply shared a resigned glance across the hall, then dragged their respective darks inside their apartments and straight into the bathrooms.

Now Bakura's multi-colored clothing was currently being soaked in the kitchen sink (Ryou wasn't sure if he could save the shirt, but hoped to at least salvage the jeans.) and he was standing naked in the shower while he and Ryou attempted to remove the paint and dyes from his body.

"I don't know if we'll be able to wash all this out," Ryou sighed, fingering a wet lock of Bakura's new electric blue hair.

"I might be able to get it out with shadow magic."

Another sigh. "Just be careful you don't make it worse."

The incredulous yami turned to stare at his light, "How could this possibly get any worse!" he exclaimed, pointing at his hair.

Ryou shrugged, "Well, better this blue stuff than being completely bald."

Bakura stared wide-eyed at his hikari for a full minute before returning to his scrubbing. He could get used to blue.

x-x-x-x

November 22, 2009

re-edited May 25, 2010

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

1 - pharaoh (Ancient Egyptian)


	7. Chapter 7

(_peers cautiously from behind a wall, helmet covering her head_) Hey! Sorry this chapter is so late. Real life dealt me a wicked left hook and on top of that, I was helping take care of a family friend while her husband was out of town for work. To make up for it, I'll try and get at least one more chapter up before the end of the month. Until then, enjoy!

* * *

Title: Evading Destiny  
Part: 7/?  
Author: Murasaki Rose  
Beta: none  
Genre: Romance/Fantasy/AU  
Rating: R  
Spoilers: Yami Yuugi's real name  
Warnings: Yaoi (male x male), implied Mpreg  
Pairings: YYxY, SxJxS, DxT, YBxR, YMxM  
Minor Pairings: BMGxA, BMxK, TxCxH, HxO, PxC, IxM  
Disclaimer: Here we go. Yu-Gi-Oh and all its characters are the property of Kazuki Takahashi, Shueisha, Konami, Toei, and unfortunately, 4 Kids Entertainment. In other words, I don't own them and I'm not making any money off of this, I'm just a fangirl having some fun.  
A/N: "text" = speech, 'text' = thought, ((text)) = telepathy

Summary: Sequel to Retrieving Destiny. Months after their fateful trip to Egypt, the reunited soul mates continue to adjust to their new life in Domino as well as the modern teens' impending graduation. Things appear to be going well until a strange series of seemingly random attacks and bizarre accidents begin plaguing both the lights and their protectors, forcing their lovers into action. In order to protect their mates, the ancient beings must now determine not only the fate of the "lost" city of Atlantis, but also their entire species! The race is on to find the answers before they all face annihilation at the hands of an unknown enemy.

Author Note: Oh look, there's plot hiding in this chapter. *_grins_*

Also, in case you missed the note in the last chapter, I'm calling the Dartz x Hanasaki pairing: Legendshipping. ^_^v

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Seated in the nearly empty auditorium alongside members of the drama club, Yuugi smiled as he watched Anzu dance across the stage. He wasn't a member of the drama club, but he Anzu, Mana, and Atem were going out shopping after Anzu got through with practice, so he was waiting for her to finish rehearsal.

As far back as grade school, Yuugi had loved when their class would perform plays with dance numbers in them almost as much as Anzu did. During every performance the graceful dancer came alive and it was in those times that he was able to watch his oldest friend shine. This year the senior drama members were performing for their graduation and much to his delight, Anzu had one of the lead roles.

x-x-x-x-x

"Wow Anzu-chan, you guys have gotten so much better! The routine has really improved!" Yuugi gushed excitedly to the pretty brunette.

"Thanks Yuugi!" she replied, blushing modestly. The small teen had always been her biggest supporter and his vote of confidence really made her feel better. She knew that despite being her oldest friend, Yuugi had never been anything less than honest with her about her performances.

"I can't wait to see your first costume rehearsal!" he continued on, practically skipping beside her in his joy. Anzu grinned down at her friend and ruffled his hair fondly.

"Well, you'll have to wait another couple of weeks just like everyone else," she said, giving her friend a playful wink.

"Aw, Anzu!"

x-x-x-x-x

Outside, Atem and Mana were waiting by the front gate, looking a bit harried from all the attention they were receiving from the small gathering of fans they'd acquired.

Since their arrival, the young yami and magician had been approached by numerous classmates of their lovers. Much to both their irritation, it wasn't merely the curiosity of seeing potential new students that had caught their attention. Rather it was physical attraction that had drawn them to approach the two Egyptians.

The two had even been asked out on several dates, all of which they had politely turned down, but their refusals seemed to be falling on deaf ears, as the requests kept coming. Being such a bright and vibrant personality Mana's natural charm drew in even more attention than Atem, so the young magician bore the brunt of the inquiries directed at the pair.

Atem on the other hand, with his dark aura, exotic skin tone, and unusually colored eyes had attracted what could only be called a small "harem" of sighing, fawning girls. The former pharaoh was getting increasingly flustered as he continued to politely refuse their advances while insisting that he was already spoken for.

This was how Anzu and Yuugi found them.

Making use of her natural-born grace, Anzu easily slipped between the crowd of boys to rejoin her wife. Reaching her side, the brunette was rewarded with a cheerful cry of her name before Mana glomped her and planted a sweet welcoming kiss to her lips. Around them the boys began to catcall and whistle at the embracing women, to which Anzu calmly raised a single middle finger in response.

Shaking his head at the scene, Yuugi turned his attention to his own floundering lover. Knowing it would be impossible to reach him otherwise, Yuugi used his small size to his advantage, slipping and weaving between the horde of girls surrounding his dark.

((Hang on love, I'm coming,)) he sent telepathically to his beloved.

((Thank the gods, _ari_. I was beginning to think I would have to resort to drastic measures,)) Atem replied, gasping as Yuugi abruptly popped up in front of him.

"Miss me?" the amethyst-eyed hikari asked, twining around his beloved like a vine.

Amidst the indignant yells of "Hey!" and cries of, "What are you doing Mutou?" Yuugi turned slightly, just enough so he could give them a feline smirk before pulling a very willing Atem down into a deep kiss, the former pharaoh purring and eagerly crushing his lover to his chest.

When they finally separated, a lightly panting Atem smirked at the surrounding girls, "As I told you before ladies, I am already spoken for."

With that declaration the crowd finally dispersed with just a few final disgusted groans and disappointed moans.

"Well, now that that's over I guess we can get going ne?" Anzu stated cheerfully, wrapping an arm around Mana's waist.

"_ari_, I hope you will not be offended if I do not wait for you here in the future." Atem stated, casting a wary glance back at the handful of girls who had not yet left the area.

Yuugi giggled and gave Atem a quick kiss on his cheek. "I understand completely, koi." ((You can wait down the block for us next time if you'd like.))

((Thank you _ari_)) Atem replied, mentally sighing in relief.

Mana giggled as well and shared a grin with Anzu, the two women having a very good idea what the yami and hikari had been talking about.

x-x-x-x-x

Waving goodbye to Mokuba, Honda, and Otogi, Jonouchi grinned as he stepped away from the limo door, closing it on the three remaining occupants. Seto, Seth, and Jou himself were going out to dinner tonight and Jonouchi had thought it would be a good idea for them to take a nice, romantic walk beforehand.

Excited at the prospect of spending time outside with his lovers, Seth had jumped at the chance and with Katsuya's help, had easily cajoled his hikari into joining them. It hadn't taken much effort their part since, contrary to his pale appearance, Seto loved nature and spent as much time as possible outside.

Having no particular destination in mind, the trio walked in a companionable silence, enjoying the sights and sounds around them without a care. Eventually they began talking about their futures: It was already a given that Seto would be going to university to get a business degree, but Jonouchi had yet to make up his mind. The blond had far too many interests and had been unable to find one that he would be comfortable doing for the rest of his life. In the meantime, he would take the general education classes Domino University required.

Eventually the trio came upon a large pond and stopped to admire the sunlight glittering on the surface.

"My loves," Seth spoke, getting their attention, "We have spoken of your future schooling, but we have yet to discuss when we would start to have children."

"WHAT?" Seto exclaimed while Jou merely blinked in response. Neither teen had been expecting that question, but Jou wasn't nearly as shocked as Seto. With his memories as Jono he was more surprised that the yami hadn't brought it up sooner.

"Is it really so surprising that I wish to see both my beautiful _akhu_ and husband heavy with child?"

Recovering, Jou smiled wryly at his husband. "Not to me, but-"

"Not a chance in hell!" Seto blurted out, glaring at both his lovers.

"But _nhy hm-ntr_, do you not want children of your own?" Seth asked, genuinely confused and a little hurt by his light's reaction. Never before had he heard of an _akhu_ that did not want children or their own. It was one of the most precious gifts that they were blessed with, something that both halves yearned for, so why would Seto refuse?

Eyes closed, Seto shook his head briefly before fixing the priest with determined eyes. "It's not a matter of wanting; it's a matter of security. Magic has been lost to most of humanity for centuries, so if any male were to get pregnant it would create a media sensation should the pregnancy be discovered.

"Someone else may be able to hide a pregnancy, but I never could. I'm the CEO of a powerful, international company. If I suddenly gained weight or dropped out of public for nine months and then came back with a child, people would start to question it. Then investigators would dig and dig until they found out why."

Ignoring the sharp pang of longing for something he could never have, Seto continued, "Eventually, someone would let their guard down and then we all could be exposed to a world that isn't ready to have us back.

"I can't- no, I won't risk that happening," the brunet continued softly, blue eyes glimmering with tears he refused to shed.

"Oh Seto," Jou murmured, pulling his boyfriend into a hug. He should have realized that his genius lover had been thinking over the situation from the moment he'd learned he could conceive.

Drawing both teens into his arms, Seth buried his face in Seto's lighter hair. ((I am sorry, _antyw akhu_. I did not realize it would be so dangerous for you to have children.))

A sigh. ((No Seth, it's not your fault. I know its not how things used to be.))

Pressing a kiss to Seto's cheek, Jonouchi smiled softly. "Ya know, just 'cause ya can't have a baby now, doesn't mean ya can't ever have one. I mean, we are gonna be alive for a few centuries aren't we?" Laughing at their stunned expressions, the blond leaned in and kissed them both, his lovers were so cute when they let their guard down!

"Katsuya, you're brilliant!" Seto exclaimed, spinning the blond around and them both out of Seth's arms. Dizzy, Jou tried to get his bearings only to find himself spinning again, this time in the arms of an exuberant High Priest. Waiting for the world to stop swirling by, keeping a tight grip onto Seth's shirt to keep himself upright Jou almost missed the yami's next question.

"I suppose that means you will be the first one pregnant?"

Blinking his eyes rapidly to clear them, Jou shook his head. "Not for a few years Seth," he answered, placing a hand on the yami's mouth to prevent him from saying anything. "Seto's not the only one that's been thinking about this." When he was sure his older lover was going to listen, he removed his hand, "We've gotta lot of responsibilities already and I'm not sure if we should be adding onto them so quickly. Seto and I have got at least four years of school ahead of us and Mokuba's still a kid himself."

Seth regarded his husband thoughtfully, "So what you're saying is-"

"We should wait at least until Mokuba's in High School before we start talking about having kids."

"I think waiting is a wonderful idea, puppy." Seto told the blond, pressing a kiss to his cheek, "and I'm sure Mokuba will enjoy being an uncle more when he's older than he would right now."

x-x-x-x-x

While the priests and their puppy talked about the future, Ryou and Malik were downtown finishing up their grocery shopping.

Since the two couples lived across the hallway from one another, they had taken to eating dinner together most nights. This way they were able to combine their budgets and afford to prepare better quality meals. Of course, Malik's vegetarian diet made planning a bit more complicated, but they managed to work things out so Malik got his veggies while Bakura and Marik got their red meat.

Exiting the market the boys headed for the crosswalk, chatting happily about their after-dinner plans. Waiting until the signal changed, the two hikari made it halfway through the intersection when a van came barreling around the corner and headed straight for the unaware teens.

Panicked cries of "Look out!" caught their attention too late and both teens froze in terror. Onlookers watched in shock as two tanned hands gripped the backs of their shirts and jerked the teens to safety in the nick of time.

Shaking horribly from the fright, the two teens looked up at their saviors and were stunned to see their wonderful darks holding them safely to their chests. Flinging their arms around their yami, the two hikari struggled to calm themselves, unwilling to breakdown in front of total strangers.

Holding their hikari close, the two yami locked eyes and an unspoken message passed between them. That had been too close.

x-x-x-x-x

July 09, 2010

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o


	8. Chapter 8

Title: Evading Destiny  
Part: 8/?  
Author: Murasaki Rose  
Beta: none  
Genre: Romance/Fantasy/AU  
Rating: R  
Spoilers: Yami Yuugi's real name  
Warnings: Yaoi (male x male), implied Mpreg  
Pairings: YYxY, SxJxS, DxT, YBxR, YMxM  
Minor Pairings: BMGxA, BMxK, TxCxH, HxO, PxC, IxM, VxA  
Disclaimer: Here we go. Yu-Gi-Oh and all its characters are the property of Kazuki Takahashi, Shueisha, Konami, Toei, and unfortunately, 4 Kids Entertainment. In other words, I don't own them and I'm not making any money off of this, I'm just a fangirl having some fun.  
A/N: "text" = speech, 'text' = thought, ((text)) = telepathy

Summary: Sequel to Retrieving Destiny. Months after their fateful trip to Egypt, Yuugi and his friends have adjusted to life with their ancient soul mates. Things appear to be going well, until just weeks before graduation, a series of bizarre accidents and seemingly random attacks begin plaguing the lights and their protectors! When the teens learn the "accidents" were planned by the same ones responsible for the attacks, their ancient lovers are forced into action. In order to protect their mates, the yami must determine, not only the location of the "lost" city of Atlantis, but also the true fate of their entire species! With new enemies coming at them with increasing power at every turn, will they find the answers they need before it's too late?

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

The following morning at school, Ryou and Malik told the others about their frightening, near-miss with the reckless driver. Their friends' reactions ranged from shocked and horrified to angry and outraged. (Kaiba was disappointed that they hadn't gotten a look at the license plate. He'd hoped to track the reckless bastard down.)

Neither Ryou nor Malik were really concerned about revenge though. The two hikari were just happy that talking about it with their friends helped to calm their nerves. It had the reverse effect on the yami, making them all anxious and edgy.

x-x-x-x-x

Later that day, their class had gym and the teens got to enjoy a rowdy game of basketball. Today the coaches had both the boys and the girls playing together so Yuugi and Hanasaki played cheerleader for Jonouchi, Honda, Malik, Kaiba, Ryou, and Anzu. With all their friends split between both teams, their cheers kept confusing their other classmates.

After the game, Honda ended up being one of the students charged with putting up the equipment. The teens quickly gathered all the balls and Honda volunteered to put away the cart. As he entered the dark storage room a fissure of unease rippled down his spine but he shook it off and continued further in. The uneasy feeling persisted and by the time the brunet hikari had reached the back of the room his danger senses were jangling wildly. Hurrying to leave the room, the soft sound of canvas sliding was the only warning he got before one of the dangerously high stacks of exercise mats collapsed on top of him! The force of the tumbling mats flattening him to the ground his head striking the floor hard enough to stun him in place.

Shaking his head to clear the fuzz, Honda suddenly realized that he was completely buried. 'What the hell!' he thought, trying to move his arms. Struggling under the weight, he quickly determined that it was going to take him quite a while to wiggle his way free. The sound of shifting canvas caught his attention again, this time above his head, where one of the mats had tipped off the top of the pile and was sliding straight for his neck. "Oh shit!" he cursed, struggling wildly to free one of his arms as the mat picked up speed.

SMACK!

A strong palm slapped against the mat stopping it in its tracks. "Man you've got to have the worst luck ever," Jonouchi quipped, grinning down at his trapped friend.

Minutes later, the blond _ms-n hwi_ had freed the brunet hikari and was helping him to his feet.

"Thanks man. Death by suffocation was not on my "to do" list anytime soon."

"No problem," the blond replied. "Any idea how you managed to nearly get yourself killed in a closet?"

"It's not like I had anything to do with it!" the brunet exclaimed, punching Jou in the arm. "I didn't even touch them and the whole stack just collapsed on me."

x-x-x-x-x

Friday arrived and once more, Yuugi was in the auditorium watching the drama club rehearse their upcoming performance.

On stage Anzu and the other girls twisted and danced with abandonment, their joy infusing their every move, oblivious to everything but the music. Above them, the heavy theatre curtain that was swaying lightly in the breeze from the air conditioning, gave an ominous creak just before one of the supporting cables snapped! One of the stage hands yelled out in warning just as the remaining over-taxed cables gave in and the entire curtain and rod assembly came crashing down on the stage.

"ANZU!" Yuugi screamed in horror as the curtain appeared to crash down on the girl he considered a sister. Running as fast as his legs could go, the small teen raced to his friend, vaulting onto the stage and reaching the girls even before the people backstage could.

To his immense relief, Anzu was fine, laying sprawled awkwardly where she had managed to fling herself a mere foot away from the heavy curtain rod. Relief washed over him like a tidal wave and he launched himself at the brunette girl and hugged her tight. With his arms around her, he could feel the fine trembling of her form. This had scared her badly.

Nearby the teacher and some of their classmates were lifting the heavy rod off another girl who hadn't been able to dodge in time. The girl was crying and in a lot of pain, but her injuries were far from life threatening. The teacher could tell her leg was badly injured, if not broken, and was taking her to the hospital to have it looked at.

Still holding Anzu, Yuugi carefully scrutinized the downed curtain rod, the supports looked sturdy enough. Why had it fallen?

x-x-x-x-x

The following Wednesday, Dartz and Hanasaki had an even nastier scare than Honda and Anzu had. The Atlantean couple had been going to a movie with their daughter when they were almost crushed. The family of three had been walking by a high-rise building when a cleaning scaffold came crashing to the ground just feet ahead of them. Had they not stopped to let Chris re-tie one of her shoes, they would have been killed.

Their run of bad luck even extended to Mai, who had a disturbing incident while waiting for a subway train. As the train was pulling into the station, she felt a hand give a hard push to the middle of her back. Had it not been for her own magic, she would have tumbled off the platform and onto the tracks below. Isis had tried to locate the perpetrator but they had mysteriously vanished without a trace.

With all these incidents plaguing them, the group of friends couldn't help but be a bit suspicious and their guardians were getting down-right out-and-out paranoid.

It wasn't until the incident involving Seto and Yuugi that they truly believed that someone was targeting them.

x-x-x-x-x

Weeks ago at the conference, Kaiba had run into Pegasus Crawford and the man had suggested that they host a tournament in Japan to cross-promote the upcoming booster packs for Duel Monsters and the newly updated Duel Disks. Knowing that a joint tournament with Industrial Illusions would be advantageous for Kaiba Corp, the young CEO had readily agreed.

Today Seto was having a press conference to announce the tournament before the live interview he and Yuugi were doing for late-night TV. At Jonouchi's suggestion, Yuugi and Atem had come to Kaiba Corp so that they could ride to the station together. Seto hadn't been too keen on the idea until Katsuya had reminded him that Mahaado and Kisara would be with them and neither _ms-n hwi_ had any experience in dealing with the modern media. So in order to stave off a potential disaster, as Seto prepared to stand in front of the crowd of reporters outside the Kaiba Corp headquarters, the reigning King of Games and his lover stood alongside his brother and boyfriend off to one side.

Seeing the go-ahead signal from Isono, Mokuba gave Seto a quick hug for luck while Jou gave him a kiss before the brunet hikari stepped up to the podium.

Standing in front of all the snapping and flashing cameras, Kaiba gave them his best media smile while resisting the urge to roll his eyes. He knew, even without looking, that Mokuba and Katsuya were struggling not to laugh. He'd caught them doing it before and both of them had admitted to finding his "media face" hilarious.

Eventually the flashes slowed and the young CEO was able to begin. After making his announcement, he answered all the typical questions, both business-related and the inevitable relationship ones too. Like every press conference before, the background noise from the reporters was a constant drone, drowning out everything much like white noise. It was so loud that Seto barely registered the crack of the gunshots before he was being knocked to the ground as a warm body slammed onto his own. Twisting around, Seto was horrified to find that the body sprawled on top of him was his blond lover.

"Katsuya?" he cried out, carefully shifting the unresponsive blond onto his back, then staring in horror at a growing patch of blood on the blond's chest.

"Kaiba-kun! Jonouchi-kun!" Yuugi cried out as he and Atem ran to his side.

Tearing off his jacket, Seto balled the fabric tightly and pressed it onto Jou's wound. Gods there was so much blood! "Call an ambulance!" he roared while Yuugi cast a shield spell around the four of them in case the shooter was still in the area. Standing close-by, Mahaado and Kisara did the same for Mokuba, the dark mage scanning the crowd for further threats while the shifter tried to calm the terrified boy.

x-x-x-x-x

While Jonouchi was being rushed into surgery, Mokuba began making a series of frantic phone calls to their friends, informing them of where they were and what was going on. In the meantime, Seto was filling out the immense stack of paperwork he needed for Jou's admittance into the hospital while Yuugi and Atem spoke quietly with the police officers that had accompanied them. Seth stood silently nearby, offering support to both his light and his younger brother while trying desperately not to think of his husband's condition. He had left the Sennen Rod the instant they arrived at the hospital and after reappearing in a nearby bathroom had stormed out to join his family.

By the time Jonouchi's doctor came to give them an update on the blond's status, the waiting room was filled with teens all anxiously awaiting the news. He was happy to inform them that Jou's surgery had gone without a hitch and that his family could see him tonight and the rest of them could visit tomorrow.

Seto had no intention of leaving his wounded lover alone in a hospital, especially with someone making attempts on going after his life and had already made arrangements for his own security forces to remain here overnight. In addition, Seth was preparing a series of protective spells to cast on the blond and his room.

"Doctor, how soon could he be moved?" Seto asked, wanting the blond to be safely ensconced in their room at the mansion as soon as possible.

"With an injury like this, I would say forty-eight hours minimum, but I would prefer he not be moved at all," he answered not flinching under the icy, venomous glares he received from Seto and Seth.

"Glaring won't make me change my mind," the doctor retorted, fixing them both with a glare of his own. "I want Jonouchi-san to make a full recovery and the longer he stays in the hospital the better his chances are."

Knowing that belligerence would get him nowhere, Seto forced himself to calm and address the older man politely. "Doctor, I can assure you that I want nothing more than for Katsuya to return to his full health. I know you are aware of who I am, so you should also know that I can easily afford to have a full-time nurse at the mansion and my private physician is already on-call twenty-four hours a day."

Sighing, the doctor shook his head. He recognized the young CEO's stubborn determination and knew that the teen would go over his head if he had to. "Fine. I will check Jonouchi-san's progress in two days and if I feel he has healed sufficiently, I will release him to your private physician for the remainder of his care."

x-x-x-x-x

Seated next to his sleeping lover, Seth tenderly brushed a lock of Jou's blond hair behind his ear before taking hold of his hand again. Seto smiled softly at him from the other side of the bed, his own hand brushing lightly through Mokuba's spiky locks before returning to Jou's other hand.

Jonouchi had been awake when they had first come in and had endured their frightened ranting and lecturing good-naturedly until his nurse threatened to throw them out. Then the injured blond had to calm both his lovers AND his nurse while Mokuba watched on in amusement. Eventually Jou was able to make peace and his nurse, reassured that neither brunet would be quiet and not upset her charge, administered the blond's painkillers, knocking the teen out for the night.

Neither hikari nor yami had felt comfortable leaving Jonouchi alone and vulnerable for the night, even with Seth's protective spells, so Seto had convinced (_read: threatened_) the staff into allowing them to stay. Jou's nurse had even brought an extra blanket for Mokuba who had promptly curled up on the bed and fallen fast asleep, snuggled up against Jonouchi's uninjured side.

x-x-x-x-x

The next morning, everyone had arrived to visit Jou as early as visiting hours would allow. Due to occupancy restrictions, most of their friends only stayed for a few minutes before leaving to go to school. Jonouchi took their sympathy and scolding in stride, taking a little guilty pleasure from all their worry. It showed them just how much his friends cared for him. But he was also glad they weren't all staying. All that attention was tiring and he knew he wouldn't be able to handle it for long. Fortunately, the only ones that had stayed were Yuugi and Atem, who kept the conversation light for a bit before bringing up the attack.

"What were you thinking, blocking an attack with your body instead of using a re-direction spell?" Atem asked, staring levelly at the former guard. He'd thought his friend knew better.

The blond blushed embarrassedly under the gentle rebuke. "Well I just-"

"You just what?" Seto broke in, glaring at his boyfriend. "Thought that you could die in my place?"

"NO!" Jonouchi exclaimed in horror. How could Seto even entertain that thought? "I didn't think that! All I wanted to do was protect you so I reacted instinctively!"

Seeing the blond's stricken expression tore at his heart and drove the young CEO to pull his boyfriend into his arms, "I'm sorry, Katsuya."

"It's all right, I know ya were just upset," Jou replied, hugging the brunet hikari with his good arm.

"We are missing the primary concern here," Atem interrupted, getting everyone's attention. "We must learn the reason behind this attack. If it is connected in any way to the strange accidents our friends have been experiencing lately, then we are all in danger."

Seto shook his head dismissively, "I've had people try and kill me before."

"Not while you had potential enemies like ours," Seth argued, knowing what his cousin was getting at. "There are far worse things that fellow magic wielders can do to harm us as opposed to a disturbed or disgusted human."

"And you weren't the only target."

Seto stared at the other hikari in shock, "You mean you . . ?"

Yuugi nodded, "I was shot at too. If it hadn't been for Mahaado . . ."

"Why didn't you say anything before?" Mokuba asked, staring worriedly at the small teen.

"You had enough to worry about and Yuugi was uninjured," Atem answered for him.

"We did report it to the police officers that came with us yesterday," Yuugi reassured them.

"I will have Mahaado and Kisara attempt to track down our would-be assassin. In the meantime, Jono should remain under guard until he heals enough to return to your home."

Seth and Seto nodded in agreement while Jonouchi grumbled under his breath about pushy, over-protective royalty.

"As for the rest of us, I suggest we remain vigilant. I spoke with the others last night and they agree; these accidents have been occurring far too often to be brushed off as coincidence."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

July 30, 2010

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o


	9. Chapter 9

Title: Evading Destiny  
Part: 9/?  
Author: Murasaki Rose  
Beta: none  
Genre: Romance/Fantasy/AU  
Rating: R  
Spoilers: Yami Yuugi's real name  
Warnings: Yaoi (male x male), implied Mpreg  
Pairings: YYxY, SxJxS, DxT, YBxR, YMxM  
Minor Pairings: BMGxA, BMxK, TxCxH, HxO, PxC, IxM  
Disclaimer: Here we go. Yu-Gi-Oh and all its characters are the property of Kazuki Takahashi, Shueisha, Konami, Toei, and unfortunately, 4 Kids Entertainment. In other words, I don't own them and I'm not making any money off of this, I'm just a fangirl having some fun.  
A/N: "text" = speech, 'text' = thought, ((text)) = telepathy

Summary: Sequel to Retrieving Destiny. Months after their fateful trip to Egypt, Yuugi and his friends have adjusted to life with their ancient soul mates. Things appear to be going well, until just weeks before graduation, a series of bizarre accidents and seemingly random attacks begin plaguing the lights and their protectors! When the teens learn the "accidents" were planned by the same ones responsible for the attacks, their ancient lovers are forced into action. In order to protect their mates, the yami must determine, not only the location of the "lost" city of Atlantis, but also the true fate of their entire species! With new enemies coming at them with increasing power at every turn, will they find the answers they need before it's too late?

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Frowning thoughtfully at the cards in his hand, Yuugi considered his options before making a decision. "You got any threes?"

"Are you sure you can't you see my cards?" Jonouchi groused as he handed over the requested cards.

Yuugi smirked, "Nope. I'm just that good."

Jonouchi groaned and fell over backwards onto his bed, careful of his still healing wound. It had been ten days since the blond had been shot and while he was finally off of bed rest, the doctor still wasn't letting him return to school until the following week. Poor Jonouchi was just happy that in a few days he would finally be able to get outside and away from the house and his over-protective lovers. He loved Seto and Seth with all his heart, but the two brunets were driving him insane.

At his wits' end, the blond _ms-n hwi_ had made a desperate phone call to Yuugi, begging the small hikari to do something, anything to help before he was forced to take drastic measures. Arriving at the mansion in record time, Atem and Mahaado forced Seto and Seth out of the mansion, leaving Kisara behind to keep Mokuba company and to guard Yuugi and Jou.

"I can't believe I'm actually looking forward to going back to school." the blond grumbled. Despite his injuries, Jonouchi had managed to keep caught up on his homework and had no worries about missing graduation. He'd worked too hard and too long on repairing his reputation and his grade-point average to fall behind again. Even for a gunshot wound.

Yuugi giggled and set his cards down, "Only Kaiba-kun and Seth-kun could accomplish that huh."

"You have no idea,Yuugi!" Jonouchi groaned. "It's like they forgot I can take care of myself! I mean, come on! I was in a gang all through junior high and have been fighting off those guys since I left, and when I was Jono, I was one of the strongest warriors in the royal court! I even got stabbed in the side with a sword and survived that just fine!"

Yuugi tilted his head and blinked cutely, "Well . . . how did Seth-kun treat you back then?"

Jou blinked in surprise as the memory came to him, "Pretty much the same way he did this time. And back then I had a lot less stuff to keep me occupied while I was laid up." Yuugi giggled as the blond continued. "Lucky for me, the little ones stopped by a lot."

"Little ones?"

"Yeah, Seto, Malik, and Rasui." The blond grinned mischievously, knowing what his next statement would cause. "Teana even brought you in to keep me company."

"Oh," Yuugi replied, blushing softly at the mention of his past infant-self. He didn't know why he always blushed when his previous incarnation was brought up, but Atem and Jonouchi got a charge out of making him do so. "Did you want to keep going, or should I deal another hand?"

Sitting up and tossing Yuugi his cards, the blond heaved a frustrated sigh. "Nah, I'm done. We should play something else now."

"How about War?"

A head shake. "Nah."

"BS?"

Another head shake. "Nah."

"Poker?"

The blond thought about it for a moment before replying, "Okay."

Cutting the cards Yuugi glanced over at the clock, "Looks like we won't have time for more than one hand, Atem will be back soon with Seto and Seth."

"Aww man."

x-x-x-x-x-x

One month later found the teens in the school lunchroom sitting at their usual table, discussing the upcoming graduation and their darks' recent behavior.

"They seriously tried to forbid you from going to graduation?" Jonouchi asked, staring incredulously at Ryou and Malik.

Ryou scowled darkly across the lunch table. "Do you really think I would joke about something like this?"

"Man, you'd think Bakura would know better than to try and coddle his own light," Honda commented while trying not to laugh.

Malik snorted indignantly, "And Marik doesn't?"

Anzu giggled but said nothing as did Hanasaki, who just smiled sympathetically. He knew better than anyone what it was like to have an over-protective darkness. Three millennia had done nothing to improve Dartz' already somewhat paranoid instincts when it came to his safety. On top of that, he had three equally-paranoid knights to handle as well. The five of them had had a spectacular argument over the whole affair, but in the end they had conceded to his wishes.

"So what did you say?" Yuugi asked.

"I told him under no circumstances was I going to miss my high school graduation in order to satisfy his paranoia and that if he didn't drop the subject, he'd be sleeping on the couch for a month." Ryou shook his head and sighed, "I understand him wanting to be cautious, really I do, but this is important to me and he really doesn't seem to be getting it."

"What about you Malik?"

"Eh, pretty much the same as Ryou. Except I added in a few more colorful words and threats to get my point across," the Egyptian hikari replied, a feral grin crossing his features. "So Yuugi, has our _Per-Aa_ tried to forbid you from going?"

The tri-color-haired teen shook his head. "No, but he does keep "subtly" trying to convince me that I shouldn't go."

"Doesn't that bother you?"

"Nah. He's knows how much I'm looking forward to this, but since he still doesn't think I should go, he's trying to change my mind . . . It won't work, but it makes him feel better."

"Don't feel too bad guys," Jonouchi said, "Seth tried that crap on me and Seto, but Seto put a stop to that nonsense real quick."

The whole group stared at Jou in wide eyed shock, they knew how Kaiba was about things he wanted and how few dared to challenge him.

"He tried to make SETO not go? Is he insane?"

The blond gazed steadily into his best friend's amethyst eyes, "You know Yuugi, sometimes I wonder the exact same thing." He shrugged, "but then again, I'm the one who married him."

x-x-x-x-x-x

**Graduation day:**

The senior show had been amazing, blowing away both parents and students alike with the amount of skill and talent shown by the students performing. It set the mood for the rest of the day, priming the audience for the ceremony that afternoon. With their parents, family, lovers and _ms-n hwi_ guardians in attendance, the reincarnated teens and their classmates listened attentively as Seto gave their class speech.

((Everything clear over there?))

((So far. Nor have I have sensed anything threatening.)) Mahaado answered his wife from his position in the Shadows, his eyes still scanning the crowd cautiously.

((The area appears clear from this vantage as well. I have contacted the knights and they have seen nothing suspicious.))

((Nor has Mana.)) the master magician said, letting his brown eyes flicker over to where his student was seated with their Pharaoh, the other _kkwy_, and the families of the _akhu_.

With the lights dead seat on attending the ceremony, the _ms-n hwi_ had insisted they guard the surrounding area. The five guardians that could be absent without arousing suspicion had positioned themselves around the grounds and were watching the graduation ceremony, hidden by the Shadows from enemy and ally alike. Serving as a second line of defense, the darks down in the audience kept their attention divided between scanning the area and watching their lights receive their diplomas.

Much to everyone's relief, the entire ceremony went smoothly and without incident.

x-x-x-x-x-x

Yuugi giggled as Anzu spun him around on the dance floor. Their school was hosting an overnight party for all the graduates, complete with snacks, soda, games, and a DJ (1). The two friends had been out of the dance floor ever since the pretty brunette had managed to pry the little duelist away from the games half an hour ago.

Inside the puzzle, Atem smiled at his light's joy, basking in the warm emotions even as he continued to monitor for danger. He was a little disappointed that the party was for graduates only (He'd wanted to dance with his _akhu_.), but was content to enjoy Yuugi's happiness through their link.

Panting slightly, Yuugi finally managed to drag Anzu off the dance floor for a break. He needed to sit down and recharge, have some water, and maybe snag a piece of the massive party sub. Laughing, Anzu let Yuugi lead them over the refreshments where they both filled a plate and took a water bottle each. Hearing his name being called, Yuugi looked around and spotted Jonouchi waving frantically at them from the table where he, Seto, Honda, and Malik were seated.

"Man, you guys were tearing up the dance floor!" Honda exclaimed enthusiastically.

Malik nodded in agreement, "Yeah. I knew Anzu was a good at dancing, but I never knew how good you were Yuugi."

Yuugi ducked his head shyly and blushed, he didn't think he was all that good.

Anzu smiled proudly at her friend, "Who do you think helped me practice all my partner dances?"

"Hey guys!" Ryou greeted as he and Hanasaki joined them at the table. "Wha-"

A loud bang resounded through the room interrupting the white-haired teen mid-word. The loud noise drawing everyone's attention to the main entrance just as the doors slammed shut behind a group of men dressed in black cloaks, the hoods drawn up shadowing their faces from view. Pulling a gun from the folds of his cloak, one of them men fired a shot into the air, quieting the entire room.

"Everyone get down on the ground, now!" he bellowed, his men drawing their own weapons behind him. Terrified, students dropped instantly, the hikari included, though they were communicating frantically with their yami.

"Now," the leader spoke, walking to the center of the room, "in this building are eight monsters masquerading as humans." These creatures have been living amongst you for years. "We," he said with a flourish of his arms, "are here to remove these vermin from your city."

A wave of gasps and murmurs rippled through the prone teenagers. With the exception of the eight reincarnates, the graduates were convinced that they were being held hostage by a bunch of lunatics!

"Now, we'll give you disgusting creatures until the count of ten to surrender to us and reveal your true form to your classmates."

"One."

Jonouchi started to stand, only to have Kaiba grab his arm. "Wait," the brunet hissed urgently.

"Two."

"But . . ."

"Trust the others."

"Three."

((Atem! We have to stop this!))

"Four."

((Do not worry, _antyw akhu_.))

"Five."

Each of the men leveled a gun at a different student.

"Six."

((Close your eyes, _ari_!))

"Seven."

A bright flash of light filled the room, temporarily blinding everyone who's eyes were open.

"You will harm no one!" a strong voice proclaimed.

As everyone's vision cleared, they were greeted by an amazing sight: six oddly dressed individuals were standing between the students and their attackers. There was a tan-skinned man and woman dressed as the Black Magician and Black Magician Girl, both aiming glowing staffs at the cloaked men, a beautiful pale-skinned woman with bright blue eyes, wearing gleaming white armor and wielding a large broadsword. Then there were three men also wearing armor of red, blue, and teal respectively, all three wielding swords of their own.

Staring into Mahaado's furious gaze the group's leader blanched. Their master had warned him they might run into the master magician and the other _ms-n hwi_ and had given strict instructions for such an encounter. Glaring hatefully at the mage, he gripped the pendant his master had given him and muttered "_uimiqusu_ (2)" under his breath and all the cloaked men vanished into thin air.

Swearing silently, Mahaado and the others vanished as well, hoping to find some trace of the men to follow.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

August 31, 2010

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

1 - Project Graduation. I'm not sure if they do this in other countries, but in the US some of the school districts hold a big, all-night graduation party for each high school on their graduation night. Lots of food, soda, games (video and other), dancing, and sometimes a prize lottery. (We also had swimming and racket ball at mine.)

2 - Totally made up word. I took the word "teleport" then re-spelled it using the next letter in the alphabet for the consonants and the next vowel in the sequence to replace the vowels. t-u, e-i, l-m, e-i, p-q, o-u, r-s, t-u.


	10. Chapter 10

Man, I've been running behind a lot lately. (_grins sheepishly_) But I am managing to keep up with my chapter minimum. I'm hoping to finish chapter 11 before the end of the month though, I think I might manage to pull it off. (_crosses fingers_)

The unedited version of this chapter can (or will) be found on AFF, Mediaminer, and Little Dragon.

* * *

Title: Evading Destiny  
Part: 10/?  
Author: Murasaki Rose  
Beta: none  
Genre: Romance/Fantasy/AU  
Rating: R  
Spoilers: Yami Yuugi's real name  
Warnings: Yaoi (male x male), implied Mpreg  
Pairings: YYxY, SxJxS, DxT, YBxR, YMxM  
Minor Pairings: BMGxA, BMxK, TxCxH, HxO, PxC, IxM  
Disclaimer: Here we go. Yu-Gi-Oh and all its characters are the property of Kazuki Takahashi, Shueisha, Konami, Toei, and unfortunately, 4 Kids Entertainment. In other words, I don't own them and I'm not making any money off of this, I'm just a fangirl having some fun.  
A/N: "text" = speech, 'text' = thought, ((text)) = telepathy

Summary: Months after their fateful trip to Egypt, the reunited soul mates continue to adjust to their new life in Domino as well as the modern teens' impending graduation. Things appear to be going well until a strange series of seemingly random attacks and bizarre accidents begin plaguing both the lights and their protectors, forcing their lovers into action. In order to protect their mates, the ancient beings must now determine not only the fate of the "lost" city of Atlantis, but also their entire species! The race is on to find the answers before they all face annihilation at the hands of an unknown enemy.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Poking his head into his lover's home office, Jonouchi heaved an exasperated sigh. Their friends were meeting here in an hour to discuss a plan of action regarding the attack yesterday and Seto was working!

Striding over to the seemingly oblivious brunet's desk, it occurred to Jou that his boyfriend might be doing something related to the upcoming meeting so he altered his plan of attack.

Wrapping his arms around the other teen's shoulders from behind, he gently nuzzled the hikari's pale neck.

"Whatcha doing Seto?"

"Finishing a project for Atem," the brunet replied, pausing briefly to kiss the blond's cheek.

"So that's why he called earlier. What's he got you doing?"

"'Travel arrangements. I've already set up an expense account and now I'm ordering tickets and arranging for flights."

Jou blinked in confusion. "What does he need travel arrangements for?"

"You'll find out tonight, pup. We need to get these plans into motion for everyone's safety. The quicker we start the better."

"But what about the tournament? You can't miss out on that! If those guys are watching us they'll notice and get suspicious!" the blond protested.

Having expected an argument Seto calmly explained, "Atem has thought of that already. Trust me Kastuya you'll understand when he explains things tonight."

"Why can't you tell me now?" Jou whined at this lover, making his famous "kicked puppy" face.

"Because he'll be here in less than an hour and I'm busy finalizing this for him." Seto replied, not once looking up from his monitor.

"Fine," Jou sulked, pouting cutely.

"Quit pouting before I ravish you senseless right here on my desk."

The blond _ms-n hwi_ grinned shamelessly and wiggled his eyebrows. "What if I want you to ravish me?"

"I'll leave the door open," the brunet hikari threatened.

"You wouldn't," Jou breathed, looking positively scandalized. "When just anyone could walk by and see?" he knew his boyfriend had a bit of an exhibitionist streak, but really . . .

"Are you forgetting all the times we've had sex in the limo, in my office at work, the roof top and the bathroom at school, or when I took you outside on the 40th floor balcony at that hotel in New York?" Seto reminded him dryly.

"You-you-ARGH!" Jonouchi screamed before storming out of the room, his face bright red from embarrassment. Glancing up to watch his retreat Seto couldn't help but smirk. It was so cute how his lover got angry when he was embarrassed and fun as hell to tease him about their semi-public romps.

((Are you almost done my light?)) Seth asked mentally as he watched his husband storm around the mansion like a predator watches an injured animal. ((All that talk about sex has given me a marvelous idea for Jono.))

Seto smiled lecherously, ((Me too. Just give me ten minutes to finish and we'll turn him into a pile of goo.))

((Where should we jump him?))

((Try and lure him into the formal living room. It's closer to the front door and has bigger windows.))

Seth smirked; oh this was going to be fun.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

About an hour later, the sated trio was still basking in the afterglow when the first of their friends arrived. Horrified, Jonouchi had ran for their bedroom as if his life depended on it, shouting back at the two brunets that he was never letting them touch him again. The poor blond had dressed in a rush, returning to the first floor just in time to watch his half-dressed lovers walking in with Yuugi, Ryou, Malik, Tomoya . . . and by the gods . . . Atem, Dartz, Bakura, and Marik. He was never going to hear the end of this.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

After an enjoyable, but embarrassing (for Jonouchi) dinner, the group settled down in the family room to talk.

"What are we going to do?" Otogi asked the two sovereigns. "If the sorcerer's cult really has returned, how can we protect our loved ones and keep ourselves a secret?"

Honda nodded in agreement, "Yeah. It was one thing back in Egypt, back then we didn't have to hide anything, but now . . ."

"I understand why you are concerned, my friends. And you know that I share the very same worries," the former pharaoh started, looking around at his friends and family. "Dartz and I have been discussing different solutions to our problem." he continued, nodding to the other ruler.

Dartz picked up the thread, "Since our arrival in Japan, I have been researching what little information is available on Atlantis, as well as where it's modern location may be."

Oddly enough I found the most accurate information in the works of the author and philosopher Plato, who was the first to write of our "lost" city. And I believe it is in his works of fiction that part of the truth lies. What I first noticed was that he had named each dialogue after one of the legendary knights, then in his work he made mention of facts that only one who had actually been to the city would have known."

"How is that possible?" Yuugi asked, "Plato didn't write about Atlantis until 370 B.C. That's over two thousand years after the city vanished."

Hanasaki spoke up, "We believe Plato was a direct descendant of someone originally from Atlantis. Most likely, the tale of our city's disappearance was passed down from generation to generation, changing little by little over time."

It was Jou who finally said what everyone was thinking, "You plan on finding Atlantis."

Dartz and Atem nodded. "Tomoya and I had always planned on finding our former home after he finished college, but with these attacks . . ."

The gray-eyed teen smiled wryly, "We decided to step up our plans a bit."

"So where are you guys headed?" Anzu asked curiously.

"Gibraltar, a British-ruled country on the Iberian Peninsula off the southwestern tip of Europe. The Rock of Gibraltar is one of the "Pillars of Hercules" and quite close to Atlantis' original location. (1)" Dartz answered the brunette.

Malik looked skeptical, "It can't be that easy."

Hanasaki shook his head, "It isn't. You see that was where Atlantis WAS located when we ruled. Now that the city has gone into hiding, it could literally be anywhere in the world."

"How in the hell are we supposed to find a moving city that's hidden so well even it's own king and queen can't find it?" Bakura exclaimed in frustration.

"Simple Bakura, we follow the clues," Dartz replied with a smirk.

"We've been looking at artifacts that archaeologists claim come from the city and the places that people argue over having been part of it or actually are the city and have learned what they have not," the orange-haired teen explained, "These are all just clues, indicating that there are hidden signs, some that only we would be able to discover, that should point us to the city. It was an old technique devised for just such an occasion." he sighed heavily, "I just don't think it was ever meant to be used for so long."

"All right, so say we follow these clues and we find Atlantis then what?" Marik asked.

"Finding it will give us two advantages over our enemies that we currently do not have. One: it will grant us a sanctuary where we can safely hide ourselves and our loved ones should things get out of control. Two: even if the people there do not know how to use them, there is a vast armory of magical and advanced weaponry as well as the massive royal library. All the books were magically protected, so the spell books will be in as good of condition as they were three-thousand years ago, meaning we can properly train the lights in both magic and combat."

"Who will be going?" Ryou asked, "It's too risky for just two people, but if we all go it will raise suspicions."

Atem smiled, "I'm glad you asked, Ryou. Dartz and I discussed this at length and have already chosen who will be leaving on the search."

Obviously, Dartz and Tomoya are going as Atlantis is their home and they would be the most adept at finding the clues. Accompanying them will be: Malik, Marik, Mai, and Isis." Raising a hand to forestall any protests he continued, "With the tournament approaching in just a few weeks, it would look very strange for my _ari_ to leave the country. Also, Seto, Jonouchi, and Ryou would without a doubt be missed by the fans. Mai however, has missed previous tournaments before and her _kkwy_ is Marik's sister, so many would think nothing of them leaving the country on a trip."

"What about the _ms-n hwi_ and the knights?" Mokuba piped up from where he was seated next to his brother.

"Mahaado and Kisara will remain here to keep watch over us and our families," Seto answered his little brother, ruffling his spiky hair fondly.

"The knights will remain as well to guard Chris and Tomoya's mother," Dartz continued. To the others surprise there was no protest from the three knights standing in the back of the room. The Atlantean king had discussed the arrangements prior to the meeting to forestall any arguments. Not wanting the royal couple to travel without them, but unwilling to leave their princess and her grandmother unprotected, the three men had reluctantly agreed to their sovereign's decision.

"Seto has already made all the travel arrangements, including passports. Now all that remains is for those that are going to pack."

Before anyone could ask Seto stood and addressed the group, "You leave tomorrow at seven a.m. Pack lightly."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Once the Atlantean royals returned home they sat down with Chris and Tomoya's mother and explained why they were leaving tomorrow. Chris was sad that her parents were going to Atlantis without her, but was happy that the knights were staying behind.

"They're lots of fun to play with!" she had chirped brightly, then gave both her parents and grandmother a hug before running to off to play until bedtime.

Once the little girl was out of earshot, Tomoya's mother had demanded the full truth, knowing that they withholding information. Tomoya wasn't surprised and sent a silent 'I told you so.' across their link to his mate. He knew his mother wouldn't be fooled by that flimsy explanation.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

After a lengthy talk with Tomoya's mother, the two Atlanteans had put their daughter to bed and retreated to their room to pack. Dartz had never felt as intimidated as he had seated in the living room with his mother-in-law. Fortunately for both their sakes, she had listened to their full explanation and had told them that if they were capable of ruling a country, the least she could do was trust their judgment.

Shaking himself from his reverie, the aqua-haired darkness watched as his lover bent over to shut their suitcase, a lecherous smile suddenly crossing his elegant features.

"That should be the last of it, koi. All that's left now is to pack an overnight bag," Hanasaki told his husband, oblivious to the perverted thoughts running through his lover's mind.

Coming up behind him, he wrapped his arms around his petite light, "We're going to be very busy for a while my love. I'm not sure when we'll get another moment alone."

Catching on to his mate's subtle hinting, Tomoya smiled mischievously, "So what you are saying then is that you want to-"

Pouncing, Dartz pinned his slender mate to the bed. "Yes."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Collapsing onto his mate, Dartz nuzzled the teen's damp hair, smiling when he felt his lover's soft lips on his neck.

"Think that will hold us for a while?" the light murmured softly.

Dartz sighed and feigned being put upon, "I suppose it will have to."

Tomoya smiled, "Try and think of it this way: Maybe after we find Atlantis, you can ravage me again in our old room."

"Darling, I would do that even if someone else has moved into it."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

1 - Seriously. I did not make this part up. Read up on Plato's original version of Atlantis for more info.


	11. Chapter 11

Title: Evading Destiny  
Part: 11/?  
Author: Murasaki Rose  
Beta: none  
Genre: Romance/Fantasy/AU  
Rating: R  
Spoilers: Yami Yuugi's real name  
Warnings: Yaoi (male x male), implied Mpreg  
Pairings: YYxY, SxJxS, DxT, YBxR, YMxM  
Minor Pairings: BMGxA, BMxK, TxCxH, HxO, PxC, IxM, VxA  
Disclaimer: Here we go. Yu-Gi-Oh and all its characters are the property of Kazuki Takahashi, Shueisha, Konami, Toei, and unfortunately, 4 Kids Entertainment. In other words, I don't own them and I'm not making any money off of this, I'm just a fangirl having some fun.  
A/N: "text" = speech, 'text' = thought, ((text)) = telepathy, {text} = Atlantean

Summary: Months after their fateful trip to Egypt, the reunited soul mates continue to adjust to their new life in Domino as well as the modern teens' impending graduation. Things appear to be going well until a strange series of seemingly random attacks and bizarre accidents begin plaguing both the lights and their protectors, forcing their lovers into action. In order to protect their mates, the ancient beings must now determine not only the fate of the "lost" city of Atlantis, but also their entire species! The race is on to find the answers before they all face annihilation at the hands of an unknown enemy.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Despite being such a large group, no one paid much attention to the small crowd of teenagers gathered just outside one of the boarding gates. Sights like this were an almost daily occurrence here.

Carry-on bags in hand, the three departing hikari bid goodbye to their friends, their yami already hidden within their items. Unable to keep from worrying, Yuugi hugged each of them in turn, making them promise to be careful and wishing them the best of luck.

Knowing her parents would be gone a long time, Chris had clung tightly to her mother the entire morning wanting to spend as much time with him as possible. Both Tomoya and Dartz felt horrible about leaving her behind, but knew it was safer for her to remain in Domino with the knights.

When it was finally time for them to board, Tomoya bent down and gathered her into a tight hug, "Now you be a good girl for Grandma and the knights while we're gone, okay sweetheart?"

Giving her mother a watery smile, the little brunette nodded. "I will Mommy. You and Daddy be careful and come home soon!"

"We will sweetie, I promise," he told her, smiling fondly at his mother and daughter.

((As do I,)) Dartz added, sending a wave of love to his little princess.

"Do not worry my lords," Timaeus reassured his sovereigns, knowing that Dartz was listening from within the item. "We will keep them safe." Behind him, Critias and Hermos nodded solemnly.

Tomoya smiled, "We know. That's why we're leaving them in your care."

Humbled by the faith their king and queen had in them, the three knights were stunned mute, unable to do more than watch as the orange-haired teen walked to the final check point where the others could not follow.

Once the last of the passengers had boarded the plane, the remaining teens and family moved to the viewing area to watch it take off, each sending silent prayers for their safety until it was no longer visible in the sky.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

After a short jaunt through Asia, they arrived in Europe and were able to take a welcome break from plane travel. Traveling by bus the group of three, six if it was safe for the darks to be out, made good time and even managed to have a bit of fun on the way, enjoying the local sights and foods while they waited for their next bus. Inevitably, despite translation spells, the language barrier managed to get in the way and the group ended up on the wrong bus, so instead of going south to Spain as they had intended, they ended up in France. After a frustrating discussion at the ticket booth, the group settled down at a nearby cafe for lunch. It was as they were finishing their meal that someone approached their odd group.

"Excusez moi (1)?" a polite masculine voice asked from behind Hanasaki. "Vous me rappelez quelqu'un, (2) the man began, his expression turning startled when both Tomoya and Dartz turned to face him. "Ah, je vous ai deja vu auparavant. Je le sais. (3)"

"Sotiris (4)?" both men breathed, staring up at the tall, blond man who had addressed them. The broad shouldered, soft spoken man staring back at them with a look of vague recognition in his eyes, was literally the spitting image of their former knight.

Rising slowly to his feet, the bespectacled hikari placed a trembling hand on the other's arm, "Is it really you?"

Confused and startled, the man began to speak again, "Je - Je sui desole mais je ne parle pas votre langue (5)."

{Do you understand us now?} Dartz replied in Atlantean, having accurately guessed what the other man had said. Blue eyes widened in surprise as he stared back, not understanding how he had understood that strange language. He didn't even know what language it was! "Oui," he nodded rapidly, {I do understand you. But how-?}

{If there is some where we can talk privately, we would be happy to explain.} Hanasaki said with a smile.

The blond nodded rapidly. {We can talk at my home. It's not far from here,} he said smiling a bit nervously back at them. As the group paid for their meal the blond turned to them with a smile, {By the way, my name is Rafael.}

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Just as Rafael had said, the walk to his home was a short one and they soon arrived at a quaint, two-story cottage with a white picket fence outlining the front yard. It looked like the type of house you saw in travel brochures and movies. Smiling proudly, the young man welcomed them inside and showed them to the dining room where they could temporarily place their bags. Guiding them to the living room they had barely gotten seated when the sound of thundering footsteps brought all eyes to the two young children tearing down the stairs.

"Grand frere tu es rentre! (6)" the little girl cheered, hugging her brother around his waist.

"Et tu as des invites! (7)" the boy stated in surprise, their brother never brought anyone home with him.

"Oui, j'en ai. Nous avons quelque chose dont nous devons discuter seuls. (8)"

"Oh d'accord, (9)" the boy replied, he and his sister moving to leave.

{They can stay. I believe this effects them as well, am I right?} Dartz broke in, having sensed a familiar power from the children.

Seeing all three forms tense, Isis decided to help ease their fear and moved to the center of the room to unfurl her wings for them. Seeing the beautiful hawk wings stretched out behind the tan-skinned woman immediately calmed them.

"Vous etes... comme nous? (10)"

Smiling and nodding Isis was delighted when both children unfurled their own wings. Two new _**ms-n hwi**_ and another face from the past, she thought casting a glance at their older brother.

{Did you inherit your wings from your mother or your father?} Tomoya asked gently, allowing his own wings out to the delight of the children.

{Our mother. Before she and father were killed in the accident, Mother taught me how to hide them. She had the most beautiful falcon wings I had ever seen,}Rafael smiled fondly at the memory. {She warned me that I should never tell anyone about them or let anyone other than Father and my siblings see them.}

{A wise decision in this day and age. Come, we will explain everything we know to you and your siblings.} Dartz commented, gesturing for the little ones to take a seat by their brother.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

When they arrived in Gibraltar, Hanasaki was still in high spirits. Finding Sotiris' reincarnation and his siblings had galvanized his desire to find their home. They had been surprised at how accepting he was of everything they told him until he admitted that he had been having strange dreams about Atlantis since childhood. Upon hearing about their current plight, the young man had expressed the desire to help, yet he was unwilling to uproot his younger siblings for his own wishes.

Feeling that the small family was safer staying put for now, Dartz reassured the blond that he needn't worry about them and should focus on his siblings. In case Rafael should feel that he and his family were in danger, they left the three anthros with all of their contact numbers (including Seto Kaiba's). The former knight had thanked them profusely, promising that they would meet again.

"Still feeling happy about Sotiris?" Dartz asked his chipper lover.

Gray eyes sparkled joyfully, "Oh yes. It's wonderful knowing he's alive again too. I still remember-" the teen suddenly stopped, his gaze turning a troubled.

"Remember what, love?"

Tomoya sighed, "Just before I died . . . I came across the bodies of Sotiris, Polemistis, and Athene. I think the man who killed me was the same one that killed them."

Gold eyes dimmed in remorse, if only he had been strong enough to protect his mate. Sensing his lover's discomfort, the orange-haired hikari hugged him tightly, receiving an equally tight embrace in return. Still lending one another their silent support, the couple looked to where the Rock of Gibraltar stood. In their minds' eye they could still see the floating barges and other smaller crafts, traveling back and forth from the mainland to the floating island that supported their home. Back then, their kingdom had encompassed the entire peninsula and on up into the land now known as the country of Greece.

Lost in their memories, the two Atlanteans nearly jumped out of their skin when Marik began talking to them, they hadn't even noticed when the others had returned.

"Well, it was easy enough finding a tour group to blend in with. There are a lot of tourists that go to the rock on a daily basis," the yami stated, guiding Malik to a small stone bench. Nose-deep in a travel pamphlet, the hikari was paying little attention to his surroundings.

"There are also daily cave tours and hiking trails so no one should think twice about us poking around down there," Mai continued, sitting next to the Egyptian hikari.

"We should probably check out the Moorish castle," Malik commented, still poring over his pamphlet. "There's a chance some of the artifacts that hold clues were moved there."

"We've got a couple of hours until the next tour starts. I suggest we grab ourselves some lunch," the blonde hikari stated, stretching her arms over her head.

"Sounds good to me," Marik replied, grabbing Malik around his waist to lead the still-engrossed hikari away.

Noticing that the former king and queen had yet to make any sort of response, Isis decided to help them out a little. She had a feeling she knew what was wrong, she and the rest of Atem's court had gone through the same thing back in Egypt.

"The sky looks strange without it, does it not?" she asked, startling the two Atlanteans.

Blinking rapidly as he focused on the former priestess, Hanasaki mumbled a soft 'yes' while Dartz nodded.

Isis gave them a warm smile, "Do not worry, I am sure we will find it again."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Once on the tour, the six yami and hikari played tourist for a while "ooing" and "awwing" with the rest of the crowd until they were able to safely ditch the tour group and search the lower tunnels on their own.

After hours of finding nothing but dead ends and empty caves they were starting to grow frustrated, but the two Atlanteans continued urging them on, knowing that they would find something eventually.

Using a flashlight lit with his magic, Hanasaki was scanning an odd alcove in the back of the large cave they had found. They had to search each area carefully physically and magically for the sign and using the hybrid flashlight would fool anyone that might run across them.

Sighting an oddly deep shadow, Hanasaki reached forward and found a hidden niche. Realizing the flashlight still couldn't illuminate the shadowed depression, the gray-eyed light frowned irritatedly. He'd seen this effect before but how-? "Oh of course," he muttered self-reprovingly. The solution was incredibly simple. {Disperse!} he ordered the shadows that were covering the niche, smiling in approval when they moved quickly, revealing a familiar symbol.

Excited the orange-haired teen called out to the others, "Guys look! I think we're finally on the right track!"

The others rushed over to where the petite teen was standing and looked at the wall where he was shining his flashlight. "See? It was hidden by shadows, it's the-"

Ch-click!

"All six of you need to back out of the cave slowly, with your hands on your heads. Now." A thickly accented voice spoke, bringing their attention to the mouth of the cave. Standing just inside the entrance was a small army of locals armed to the teeth, with every weapon aimed directly at them.

Not wanting to cause a fuss, the yami and hikari exited the cave without complaint, only to have their hands bound behind their back. Then the ones that had tied them, grabbed hold of their arms or simply shoved them from behind in the direction of the trail that lead away from the caves.

Feeling Marik summoning his powers, Malik quickly contacted his dark with a warning, ((Marik, don't!))

((_Akhu_, we have done nothing to warrant this treatment and they keep man-handling you!))

((Hush, they aren't hurting any of us. I'm sure we can come to a peaceful resolution, WITHOUT having to resort to magic.))

((And if you're wrong?))

((Then you can have all the fun you want.))

((Promise?))

((Yes, now behave yourself!))

Walking for what seemed forever, occasionally stumbling over the unpaved paths that were definitely not intended for tourists, the group of yami and hikari were led steadily further and further up the cliffside.

Reaching the top, they could finally see what had to be their destination and Malik couldn't help but comment, "Well, I guess we'll get to see the castle after all."

Mai groaned shook her head, "Really Malik."

"No talking!" one of the men barked, making a move to strike the young woman. He quickly changed his mind upon sighting the fierce glare Isis had leveled at him. Tied up or not, he had a feeling the dark-skinned woman would maim him should he touch the blonde.

"Quit threatening the prisoners, Nicholas! It is up to the elders to decide their punishment!" another snapped at the man. "You do remember what happened to you the last time you struck a prisoner without cause don't you?"

Glaring sullenly at the one who'd chastised him, Nicholas moved to the back of the group of villagers, allowing another to take his place. He knew better than to defy the elders again.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Hidden safely in the bushes, a red-headed teenager and his younger brother watched the group of foreigners being led to the castle. The two boys had been following the odd group all day and now were even more curious than before.

"What do we do now, big brother?" the boy asked once the group had moved out of ear shot. "I've never seen anyone from the village take prisoners to the castle before!"

"Neither have I Miruko," the teen replied thoughtfully, wondering why the elders would be determining their punishment instead of the police.

"I don't think they've ever arrested anybody for going in the lower caves either!"

Smirking down at his sibling, the teen ruffled his hair fondly, "I think we should go and find out why, don't you?"

Miruko grinned excitedly at his brother, "Yeah! Let's go!"

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

September 26, 2010  
-edited September 30, 2010

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

1- Excuse me? (French)

2 - You seem familiar, (French)

3 - Ah, I have seen you both before. I know it. (French)

4 - salvation (Greek)

5 - I - I am sorry, but I do not speak your language. (French)

6 - Big brother you are home! (French)

7 - And you brought guests! (French)

8 - Yes I did. We have something we need to discuss alone. (French)

9 - Oh all right. (French)

10 - You are . . . like us? (French)

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

It's implied in the series that Rafael is from France. I just ran with it. Also, if my French is wrong, please let me know. I used a translator program for these lines so some might be too formal or literal.

Edit: I'm an idiot. In all my earlier research it somehow slipped my attention that the Rock of Gibraltar is on a penninsula. It's not an island, you can actually drive to it. *_bangs head on desk repeatedly_*


	12. Chapter 12

Yo! *_waves cheerfully_* I wanted to start off with a big thanks to Lily Angel of Chaos for helping edit my French in the previous chapter and for pointing out that FF had eaten my accented letters.

* * *

Title: Evading Destiny  
Part: 12/?  
Author: Murasaki Rose  
Beta: none  
Genre: Romance/Fantasy/AU  
Rating: R  
Spoilers: Yami Yuugi's real name  
Warnings: Yaoi (male x male), implied Mpreg  
Pairings: YYxY, SxJxS, DxT, YBxR, YMxM  
Minor Pairings: BMGxA, BMxK, TxCxH, HxO, PxC, IxM  
Disclaimer: Here we go. Yu-Gi-Oh and all its characters are the property of Kazuki Takahashi, Shueisha, Konami, Toei, and unfortunately, 4 Kids Entertainment. In other words, I don't own them and I'm not making any money off of this, I'm just a fangirl having some fun.  
A/N: "text" = speech, 'text' = thought, ((text)) = telepathy

Summary: Sequel to Retrieving Destiny. Months after their fateful trip to Egypt, the reunited soul mates continue to adjust to their new life in Domino as well as the modern teens' impending graduation. Things appear to be going well until a strange series of seemingly random attacks and bizarre accidents begin plaguing both the lights and their protectors, forcing their lovers into action. In order to protect their mates, the ancient beings must now determine not only the fate of the "lost" city of Atlantis, but also their entire species! The race is on to find the answers before they all face annihilation at the hands of an unknown enemy.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Keeping a safe distance behind the villagers, the two boys followed the group to the castle, their progress slowing as the foliage grew more and more sparse the closer they got to the impressive structure. It was difficult going, but the two boys managed to make their way around to the back of the old fortress without being seen. Having played here for years, they knew of several secret entrances that led into the castle. Some had collapsed or been blocked up, but judging from the amount of dirt and cobwebs covering it, no one else had found this one.

Using only a flashlight to guide their way, they followed the rough-hewn steps down, before entering a short corridor that led to a series of steep, narrow, winding stairs that took them up into the castle. At the tunnel's end they emerged from the inside of an ancient wardrobe tucked into one of the smaller bedrooms. Moving silently, the boys cautiously made their way down to the dungeon. Even though they had never seen the villagers take anyone here before, the older boy reasoned it was the most logical place they would take them.

Unfortunately for them, the dungeon was a long way off from where they were but they were determined. Despite their caution, they still had a few close calls on the way, having to duck around corners and even slip directly behind one of the men to avoid being detected. Finally, they reached the dungeon and were relieved to see that none of the villagers had remained in the dank, oppressive room. The six captives had been locked in three cells and were speaking in a language that neither boy could understand. Judging from the tone of their voices, they could easily tell they weren't happy with their current predicament.

Squaring his shoulders, the tall, slender teen strode confidently into the center of the room, his little brother following close behind him. All talk stopped the moment he came into view and the teen could swear he saw a flicker of recognition in some of their eyes. Ignoring their reactions, he headed straight for the two men that had featured prominently in his dreams.

"Quien es usted (1)?"

"By the gods, not this again," Marik growled, rolling his eyes as he cast a spell. "That should speed things up," he muttered, ignoring the shocked look on both boy's faces.

"What did you do to us?" the teen demanded, gray eyes flashing warningly.

"Cast a language spell. Now you understand us and we understand you," the tomb builder explained, crossing his arms and leaning back against the wall. "Now hurry up and ask your questions so we can get going Athene (2)."

((Athene? Who is that?)) Malik asked, confused by his yami's behavior.

((He is Athene. Or rather he was Athene and SHE was one of the Atlantean royal guard.))

Malik stared at the teen with wide eyes, ((Oh wow.))

Isis smiled softly at the boys. ((It seems we are meeting many old friends on this journey.))

Agreeing silently with her yami, Mai grinned at the youth. "What's your name now, kid?"

Bristling slightly at being called a kid, the teen's answer was a bit curt. "My name is Amelda and this is my brother Miruko."

The younger boy, who looked to be around Mokuba's age, nodded absently. Amelda noticed immediately and asked him what was wrong.

"Nothing's wrong, big brother. But isn't Athene the name you said people call you in your dreams?"

"It is," he answered before turning to address the prisoners. "What I don't understand is why I've seen all of you in my dreams, when this is the first time we've met."

"Are you sure about that?" Dartz asked, fixing the teen with a knowing stare. "What happens in these dreams of yours?"

Having never shared his dreams with anyone other than his brother, but strangely wanting to trust these people, Amelda found himself torn. Feeling a small hand squeeze his own, the teen looked down into his brother's smiling face.

"It's okay, big brother. I think we can trust them."

Smiling in return, the red head nodded and turned back to the prisoners. "In my dreams I'm a warrior from Atlantis. I died in Egypt while trying to stop some men from attacking the queen and the children that were hidden deep in the palace."

Moving to the front of his cell, Hanasaki extended a hand out in invitation and was delighted when Amelda hesitantly took it. "I know," he said, placing his other hand on top of Amelda's. "And I can never thank you enough. Without the sacrifices of you and your fellow knights, my daughter would have died that day."

Amelda stared at the small teen in shock, "What?" How did he know that Queen of Atlantis was male! And that he had a daughter!

The orange-haired teen gave him a sad smile, "Thanks to you, I was able to hide Chris safely in a pocket dimension in a state of suspended animation. I was on my way to do the same with the other children when I came across the bodies of you and your comrades." Looking away he gripped Amelda's hand tighter, "In my horror, I let my guard down and was slain by the same men who had killed you."

"Who are you?" Amelda breathed, staring at the other teen in shock.

A wry grin, "Me? I'm just Hanasaki Tomoya. Recent high school graduate and reincarnated Queen of Atlantis."

"Don't forget my beautiful light, you are also the mother of our daughter and the other half of my soul," Dartz added, smiling warmly at his mate, ignoring the gagging noises from Malik and Marik.

Reclaiming his hand, Amelda turned to face the former king, "And I suppose you're a reincarnation too?"

Dartz snorted, "Hardly. I spent the last three thousand years of my existence sealed in a mockery of the royal seal thanks to that damned sorcerer."

Stormy eyes narrowed, "How do I know you're telling the truth?"

"You don't," Dartz replied, snapping his fingers and making all their cell doors unlock and swing open. "But you'll never learn the truth about who you are if you don't trust us."

Both boys gaped in astonishment as the hikari and yami exited the now open cells. "Big brother? I think we should listen to them," Miruko said to the older boy, "They knew stuff from your dreams and you've never told anyone but me about them."

"Did he tell you he used to be a girl?" Marik asked, grinning at the boy.

Wide eyes stared at the yami in shock before the boy quickly turned to face his brother, "Were you really?'

Face burning with embarrassment, Amelda nodded sharply in confirmation.

Miruko looked thoughtful for a moment before finally stating, "Maybe that's why you like boys instead of girls then?"

Malik and Marik burst into silent hysterics while Amelda turned a shade of red that rivaled his hair.

"Perhaps we should go elsewhere to talk?" Isis asked suggested, catching both her brother and his light by the ear.

"That sounds like an excellent idea," Mai agreed smoothly, "Would you care to show us the way young man?"

Grinning from ear to ear, Miruko nodded and grabbing his brother's hand, lead them out of the dungeon.

Ever the protective brother, Amelda took his place before they reached the top of the steps, checking to make sure the coast was clear before motioning the others across the room.

Reaching the next door, the red-headed teen had barely cracked the door when it was flung wide open, revealing the men from the village. Nicholas at the head of the them.

"Amelda! Miruko! What are you doing?"

Both boys froze in place, neither one knowing what they could say to explain this. Not giving them a chance, Nicholas plowed his meaty fist into the teen' stomach, knocking the wind out of him and sending him to the floor.

"Big brother!" Miruko ran to his brother's side, only to get picked up by collar of his shirt.

"I should have known you brats would try something like this. Strays like you are always causing trouble," the big man growled, swinging his free arm to strike the child.

Closing his eyes in anticipation, Miruko waited for the blow to fall and when it didn't he cautiously opened one eye. To his surprise, Nicholas' fist was just inches away from his face, held tightly in the grip of the aqua-haired Atlantean king.

"It's one thing to strike someone old enough to defend themselves, but I will not stand by and watch you strike a child." Dartz growled, his gold eyes flashing dangerously. Behind him, Tomoya was helping Amelda back onto his feet, the pendant that once held Dartz prisoner falling out from under his shirt as he bent down to give him a hand.

Unable to free the hand in Dartz' grip, Nicholas dropped Miruko in order to strike at the darkness but instead felt a blinding pain to his jaw, just before he blacked out. During their conflict the other men had attempted to restrain the others only to find themselves bound by shadows and light.

"Now what's all this fuss about?" an old, creaky voice asked as the owner walked into the room. Carefully assessing the scene before him, the wizened old man took stock of the situation, his eyes going wide when he spotted Dartz. "It can't be!" he muttered, staring intently at the aqua-haired man for some time before turning his attention to Hanasaki. His jaw dropped when he saw the pendant hanging from the teen's neck: Even though the runes surrounding the circle were wrong, the elder immediately recognized the unicursal hexagram (2) used by the Atlantean royal house as their crest. It didn't take much for him to fit all the pieces together: Shadow and light magic, the Atlantean royal crest, and two men that were the living image of the ancient carvings of the last King and Queen of Atlantis . . .

"My lords, I am honored by your presence. Please forgive the young ones for their impertinence," he said bowing deeply to the former rulers.

"Rise elder, there is nothing to forgive," Dartz told him, helping the old man to his feet. "They were simply doing what they thought was right."

"And my husband has already dealt with the one who struck Amelda unprovoked," Hanasaki reassured the elder with a smile.

"Yeah, he even stopped him from hitting me! It was so cool!" Miruko piped up excitedly.

Glancing over at the unconscious man, the elder sighed resignedly, "That boy is always causing trouble." Shaking his head, he returned his attention to the Atlantean light and dark. "If my lords and your guests are willing, would you care to follow me? I have much to discuss with you and this is far a from comfortable place to be."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

After the elder made the captive villagers promise not to attack their guests, the entire group went downstairs to the dining hall. Once there the elder he sent some of the men off to take the still-unconscious Nicholas home, then gather the remaining elders and escort them to the castle. The others he sent to retrieve food and drink for their honored guests. When one of the men made to take Amelda and Miruko back to the village, Dartz halted them.

"My knight and his brother are more than welcome to stay with us."

"Your knight?" the elder asked curiously, gesturing for the brothers to join them at the table, "I always thought he bore a striking resemblance to Athene, but given the gender difference I could never be certain."

"Amelda is definitely Athene, " Hanasaki answered, "and if he likes, there's a friend of ours back home who could fully restore his memories."

"But . . would that make him different?" Miruko asked, worried he could lose his only family.

Tomoya shook his head and smiled warmly, "Not really. He would still be himself, still be Amelda. But he would have the memories and experience of his life as Athene to help him."

"Does it hurt?"

"Not at all. As a matter of fact, I had it done myself a few months ago as did several of my friends, including the blonde lady over there," Hanasaki reassured the boy, gesturing in Mai's direction.

"Okay." he said impulsively hugging his brother around his waist, "You can get your memories back if you want them, big brother."

Amelda stared at this little brother in surprise, "I'll-I'll think about it Miruko."

Thankfully for the teen, the food was brought in at that moment and he was spared any further embarrassment as the group settled in for a light dinner. By the time they had finished eating, the rest of the elders had arrived and it was time to talk. Introductions were made and Dartz explained what they were looking for and why they were searching for it now.

"It is as we suspected," the lead elder stated. "According to the ancient writings, when Atlantis vanished, they left clues to their next location in hopes that one day you would return. They charged our ancestors with the important task of keeping this secret from all but you and others of your kind."

"Others? You mean there are more of us still out there?" Malik was both shocked and hopeful at the prospect of meeting more of their kind.

"Not reincarnations young man, but yes, lights and darks are still being born all around the world. The same goes for the mages, anthros, and shifters. Most have gone into hiding, both amongst humans or at Atlantis."

One of the old women spoke now, "It is said that all the lights and darks from this area of the world, fled to Atlantis before it vanished, seeking sanctuary from the sorcerer and his growing army of followers."

"Over time, the sorcerer's cult faltered in power, but they never completely went away. So for centuries we have kept the secrets and clues pertaining to Atlantis hidden from prying eyes," another man spoke proudly. "No archaeologists or even the British army during the second world war, managed to find the secret tunnels and caves."

"Recently though, the remaining cultists we've been watching have grown active once again. They've been recruiting and making strange pilgrimages from which they seem quite animated upon their return."

"One of our spies reported hearing rumors of an important figure's return, but he has been unable to confirm this."

"Someone has," Marik growled. "During the last attack on our hikari, the men responsible were using ancient magic that possessed the same dark signature the sorcerer's magic had."

"That is why it is imperative that we find Atlantis as soon as possible," Dartz told the elders. "There are many items there that would be of great use to us and perhaps those living there would be willing to assist us. In this new day and age, where we now must hide amongst humans instead of living alongside them, we will need all the allies we can get."

"We understand my lords, and we shall help you in any way that we can."

"Tomorrow, after you have all gotten a good night's sleep, we shall escort you to the secret caves."

Hanasaki gave the elderly man a sincere smile. "Thank you, your help is most appreciated."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

1 - Who are you? (Spanish) It should be European Spanish, but the translator didn't specify so I can't be sure. If it's wrong, please let me know and I'll fix it. Technically it should be Llanito, a local mix of Andalusian Spanish and British English, but I couldn't find a translator for that.

2 - Athene variant of Athena (Greek) So why did I make Amelda's past life a girl? Truthfully, I got the idea when I was researching the meanings behind each of the Doom Knights names. Turns out that Amelda is a girl's name. Heh.

3 - A hexagram that can be drawn unicursally, in one continuous line rather than two overlaid triangles. The hexagram can also be depicted in a circle with all points touching it. (This is the true name of the symbol used in the The Seal of Orichalcos. I kid you not. Go look it up.)


	13. Chapter 13

Yo! I'm back with the next chapter and this one has been censored for FF. You can find the uncensored ones on AFF, Mediaminer, and Little Dragon.

* * *

Title: Evading Destiny  
Part: 13/?  
Author: Murasaki Rose  
Beta: none  
Genre: Romance/Fantasy/AU  
Rating: R  
Spoilers: Yami Yuugi's real name  
Warnings: Yaoi (male x male), implied Mpreg  
Pairings: YYxY, SxJxS, DxT, YBxR, YMxM  
Minor Pairings: BMGxA, BMxK, TxCxH, HxO, PxC, IxM, VxA  
Disclaimer: Here we go. Yu-Gi-Oh and all its characters are the property of Kazuki Takahashi, Shueisha, Konami, Toei, and unfortunately, 4 Kids Entertainment. In other words, I don't own them and I'm not making any money off of this, I'm just a fangirl having some fun.  
A/N: "text" = speech, 'text' = thought, ((text)) = telepathy

Summary: Sequel to Retrieving Destiny. Months after their fateful trip to Egypt, the reunited soul mates continue to adjust to their new life in Domino as well as the modern teens' impending graduation. Things appear to be going well until a strange series of seemingly random attacks and bizarre accidents begin plaguing both the lights and their protectors, forcing their lovers into action. In order to protect their mates, the ancient beings must now determine not only the fate of the "lost" city of Atlantis, but also their entire species! The race is on to find the answers before they all face annihilation at the hands of an unknown enemy.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Nearly a month had passed since the attack at the graduation party and things had been quiet since then. The group searching for Atlantis had been sending them messages to keep them updated on their progress, the last message had stated the group was headed for Antarctica, but they had found little information on their enemies. All they knew was that the men behind the recent attacks were directly connected to the sorcerer's cult responsible for their imprisonment.

With so little information available, the yami grew increasingly worried, yet remained vigilant for the next attack. They knew from past experience that long periods of quiet never boded well in war, almost always ending in a spectacularly large or suicidal attack that would put all previous efforts to shame.

Now with the exhibition tournament a mere week away, Yuugi was going over his strategies and making minor adjustments to his deck with some of the new cards he had just received. The petite teenager was sprawled out on his bed, propped up on his elbows, his slender legs kicking idly as he worked.

Laying on his back next to him, Atem was leafing through Yuugi's second deck, one the young "King of Games" had specially constructed with magical combat in mind. Stopping at a monster card with the image of a white-haired, female spell caster (1), the former pharaoh smiled. His talented hikari had designed this new, stronger deck to complement his magic using more light monsters than dark. He'd gotten the idea one afternoon when Atem had been explaining the basics of summoning to him. Knowing they had an enemy who knew their identities made him leery about relying on his main deck for actual combat. Especially since everything they had experienced so far indicated that their enemy would very likely have strategies to counteract his deck.

With this in mind and following his grandfather's advice of "Stick with what you know and are comfortable with." the tri-color-haired duelist had constructed a deck that was capable of defeating his current deck, Egyptian gods and all.

"Will you be taking the God cards with you, _ari_?" Atem asked, placing Yuugi's secondary deck on the nightstand.

Yuugi nodded, "Yeah, but I won't be using them. I'll just carry them in my case with my main deck."

Atem gave him a curious look. "Why take them if you aren't going to use them? Wouldn't it be safer to keep them in subspace with your secondary deck?" Accessing subspace was one of the first things that Atem had taught his young light. It was a simple yet incredibly useful spell both in battle and the more mundane everyday life, enabling you to carry any number of useful items without weighing yourself down or revealing your full arsenal. It was also great for keeping important items safe from thieves. Yuugi had started using the technique to hide the puzzle as soon as he'd learned it.

The small light shook his head, "It would be safer, but I don't want to use any magic during the tournament."

Sometimes I'm expected to show them off during tournaments since people love seeing them on Kaiba-kun's holographic systems so I'll probably have to bring them out at least once."

Accepting his hikari's reasoning, Atem nodded agreeably. With a dangerous enemy still lurking in the shadows they had to be prepared for an attack at any time and this tournament could be exactly what their opponents were waiting for.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Having just left his hikari going over his dueling deck in their bedroom, Seth wandered the mansion in search of his other lover. Coming upon his husband in the dining room, the former high priest wrapped his arms around Jonouchi's shoulders giving him a brief hug from behind and pressing a soft kiss to his cheek.

"Making good progress, _antyw mry_ (2)?"

Jou smiled and kissed him back. "Pretty well. I'm just about done here."

Seth nodded, "As is Seto. I am curious though, why do you not work on this in our room with Seto?"

"It's mostly a strategy thing," Jou explained. "Even though neither of us would sneak peeks at the other's cards, we both can concentrate on working out our strategies better when we're in separate rooms."

Also, we learned a long time ago not to try and work on anything in the bedroom and expect to get it done." He grinned sheepishly, "we tend to get . . . distracted."

Seth laughed.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

A few miles away at his apartment, Ryou was going over his occult deck in the kitchen with Bakura. Like Yuugi, he wanted to do a bit of minor tweaking before the tournament. Bakura, sitting in the chair adjacent to his, was leafing through his spare cards occasionally offering one up for his consideration.

Ryou had first shown the yami his deck one day when he and Malik were discussing past tournaments and had been delighted by his reaction. Unlike most people, Bakura adored his choice in monsters, finding the grotesque and macabre creatures oddly reassuring. When Malik had asked why, Bakura had explained that Ryou's deck was a reflection of his yearning for what he lacked in his life. After freeing himself from Marik's sudden bear hug, a blushing Ryou had countered that his deck was more than that; it also showed a part of his long time fascination with the occult. Bakura would have brought up all the reasons he disagreed (like how Ryou's love of the occult was also a sign of his yearning) but Malik had already drawn his fellow duelist into a deep conversation about strategy, leaving the two yami to their own devices.

Noticing his light had separated two cards from the rest of his monsters, Bakura picked them up to see what they were: Dark Master Zorc and Diabound Colonel.

"Those two are my favorites." Ryou smiled at his darkness, "Zorc is based off a monster from my favorite tabletop RPG and Diabound-"

"Was my most powerful summon and much more powerful than he is here," Bakura finished, tapping the card with his index finger. He chuckled softly, "You'd climb all over him every time you got the chance."

Ryou blushed, 'No wonder I like it so much. I've actually seen it.'

Unable to resist the delectable sight, Bakura pounced on his hikari knocking them both to the floor, smirking at the teen's wide-eyed, startled expression. Leaning in until he was nose to nose with his light, Bakura braced himself on his elbows and purred, "You look delicious when you're embarassed _antyw akhu_."

Giving his darkness a smirk of his own, Ryou reached up and latched onto his yami's neck, sucking and scraping the tempting patch of skin below his jaw before licking a path up to his ear. Blowing delicately on the sensitive appendage he whispered softly, "But you taste delicious," and plunged his tongue into Bakura's ear making him purr in delight.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

1 - Silent Magician

2 - my beloved


	14. Chapter 14

Merry Christmas, minna-san! I'm posting this from work for as an early (or late) gift to you all. To those that celebrate it, I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and to those that don't, I hope you had or will have an enjoyable holiday season. See ya in January!

* * *

Title: Evading Destiny  
Part: 14/?  
Author: Murasaki Rose  
Beta: none  
Genre: Romance/Fantasy/AU  
Rating: R  
Spoilers: Yami Yuugi's real name  
Warnings: Yaoi (male x male), implied Mpreg  
Pairings: YYxY, SxJxS, DxT, YBxR, YMxM  
Minor Pairings: BMGxA, BMxK, TxCxH, HxO, PxC, IxM  
Disclaimer: Here we go. Yu-Gi-Oh and all its characters are the property of Kazuki Takahashi, Shueisha, Konami, Toei, and unfortunately, 4 Kids Entertainment. In other words, I don't own them and I'm not making any money off of this, I'm just a fangirl having some fun.  
A/N: "text" = speech, 'text' = thought, ((text)) = telepathy

Summary: Sequel to Retrieving Destiny. Months after their fateful trip to Egypt, the reunited soul mates continue to adjust to their new life in Domino as well as the modern teens' impending graduation. Things appear to be going well until a strange series of seemingly random attacks and bizarre accidents begin plaguing both the lights and their protectors, forcing their lovers into action. In order to protect their mates, the ancient beings must now determine not only the fate of the "lost" city of Atlantis, but also their entire species! The race is on to find the answers before they all face annihilation at the hands of an unknown enemy.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Opening day arrived and Yuugi and his friends had decided to meet at Domino City Park, where the tournament's opening ceremonies were going to be held late that afternoon. There was going to be a carnival running all day for the participating duelists and their families that would be open to the general public after the tournament started. Shortly before lunch time, Yuugi, Anzu, and Ryou met up at the front gate then headed inside the park gates to meet up with Jonouchi and Honda at the main food pavilion. Seto and Mokuba would not be joining them this time because they were busy handling all the last minute details for the tournament opening that afternoon.

After a light lunch the group headed for the midway where Yuugi quickly dominated the dart and ring toss games, becoming the proud owner of both a huge Black Magician plushie and a respectively large Winged Kuriboh.

((Mahaado is going to freak when he sees this,)) Yuugi told Atem as the vendor handed over the three foot tall plushie.

Chuckling as he imagined the mage's reaction, Atem had to agree. ((True, but you may have more trouble with how Kisara will react.))

((Oh?))

((I believe she will run off with it.))

Unable to hold it in, Yuugi started laughing out loud, getting odd looks from both his friends and some passers-by. Struggling to contain himself, Yuugi managed to reduce his guffaws to the occasional snicker when a familiar voice called out.

"Hello Yuugi-boy!"

"Ah!" Jumping in surprise, Yuugi turned whirled to face the owner of the overly cheerful voice, "Pegasus-san! What are you doing here?"

Walking up to the group of teens, a bright smile on his face and his equally happy wife holding on to his arm, the silver-haired man explained, "Well, as this tournament is a joint effort between Industrial Illusions and Kaiba Corporation I need to be here to help start things off."

"And we thought it would be fun to attend the carnival," Cynthia added, smiling up at her husband, "It's not often that we have time for simple fun nowadays."

Looking over the assembled group of teens, the older dark frowned thoughtfully, "I don't seen any of your yami. Don't tell me your mates have left you to fend for yourselves?"

"No, they're right here," Yuugi replied holding up his Sennen Puzzle. "We agreed that it would work more to our advantage it they remained hidden."

"Our enemy still hasn't shown his face. We're fairly certain he will make an appearance at some point during the tournament, or at the least send his men after us," Jou further explained.

Sensing the morbid shift in everyone's mood, Cynthia clapped her hands sharply to get their attention.

"None of that. If we allow ourselves to dwell on it and live in fear then we're already letting them win. Now I'm not saying we shouldn't remain vigilant, but we are all going to go out and have a good time today, if for no other reason than to spite them."

Laughing happily, Anzu nodded her agreement, "Cynthia-san is right guys. We came here to have fun and that's exactly what we're going to do." Grabbing Yuugi's free arm with her own, her other occupied by his Kuriboh plushie, she tugged him down the midway. "C'mon Yuugi. Let's see how many more vendors you can blow away before they ban you from playing."

Not wanting to miss out on the fun, Ryou followed closely behind, promising the childhood friends that Yuugi wouldn't be the only one banned from the midway if he had anything to say about it.

Blinking in surprise, Jou and Honda stared after them for just a moment before racing after the trio, calling out for them to wait up.

Smiling, Pegasus gave his wife a quick kiss to her cheek. "You'll make a wonderful mother one day."

Giving him a serene smile, the pretty blonde returned the gesture. "You're sweet."

"I mean it, my love."

Still smiling, she pulled him into a tender embrace, resting her head on his shoulder. "I know."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

After leaving the Crawfords, the first game the group ran across was a shooting game, something more up Honda's alley than Yuugi's. Honda's fussy behavior over the guns amused the vendor but he humored the teen, allowing him to find the gun that appeared to have the least bent muzzle. Lining up his target he took one practice shot to get the alignment down then easily cleared the target with a perfect score, much to the vendor's annoyance.

Further down the midway, Ryou spotted a fortune teller and just had to test her skills. Entering the tent, they found the woman in the middle of giving a reading to a very distraught classmate. Noticing the odd arrangement of her cards, Ryou frowned and listened closely, catching several errors in her interpretation.

Stepping up to the table, Ryou could finally see the rest of the cards and was disgusted by the fortune teller's "reading". It was obvious now that the woman was a fraud. "I couldn't help but notice the unusual spread you're using, is it a variation on the Celtic Cross or perhaps the Mandala (1)?"

Paling slightly the fortune teller stuttered slightly before hiding her fear behind a mask of anger, "What do you know of the cards?"

"A lot actually. My grandmother was quite skilled in divination and taught my sister and I how to do tarot readings when we were little." Getting his former classmate's attention he pointed to the two more visually disturbing cards on the table and gave a brief explanation to her. "The Ten of Swords: If this is a representation of your past, then you have nothing to worry about, as you have weathered the worst already." Moving on from the card depicting a man impaled by swords he pointed to the next, "Death: Upright like it is, this card is actually a positive thing. It signifies a major change, in some ways a rebirth: the end of one phase of your life and the beginning of another."

Furious, the fortune teller scooped up her cards and thrust them into the hikari's hands, "All right, if you know so much why don't **you** give her a reading?"

Giving her a non-committal shrug, Ryou turned to his former classmate and with her permission laid the cards out in a proper spread and began the reading. Once more the Ten of Swords and Death cards made an appearance, representing her past and future respectively, and after a brief explanation Ryou was able to leave their classmate with a much happier outlook on her future. Finished with the younger teen's reading, the silver-haired hikari shuffled the cards and laid them out again, this time for the fortune teller.

Watching from inside the Sennen Ring, Bakura started laughing uproariously when his light had started the fraudulous woman's reading. He didn't stop even when the terrified and furious woman had thrown them out of her tent, Ryou's laughter mirroring his own. Running to the end of the midway avenue they were one, they headed over to the next before stopping to catch their breath.

"Ano, Masayume-sempai (2)?"

Looking behind them, the teens found that the girl Ryou had given the reading to had followed them. "Yes, Kino-chan?"

"I wanted to thank you for the reading. I really appreciate it," the girl explained, bowing respectfully.

Ryou smiled gently at the younger teen, "Just remember that no reading about your future is set in stone. They merely point out the path. It's up to you to make it happen."

"I will, I promise!" she vowed before running back to find her friend.

Returning to the carnival games, Yuugi and his friends continued their winning streak, increasing their collection of grand prizes considerably. Towards the end of the avenue they came across a "wheel of luck" that Jonouchi just had to give a whirl. Games of chance were his forte and with a prize already in mind, he spun the wheel.

Leaving a dumbstruck vendor in his wake, the blond gave the large double plushie in his arms an affectionate squeeze. "This is going on our bed," he declared, grinning happily at his friends.

"Considering what it is, that does not surprise me in the least," Anzu replied, eyeing the stuffed animal in amusement. The plushie in question was a large red eyes black dragon entwined lovingly with a blue eyes white dragon and just screamed that it should belong to Jou and Seto.

The blond _ms-n hwi_ started to reply when he noticed that the brunette was no longer standing next to him. A delighted squeal alerted him and the others to her position over by the strength tester where she was cooing over an adorable Black Magician Girl plushie as large as Yuugi's Black Magician one.

"You gonna have one of these fellas win it for ya little girl?" the vendor asked, smirking challengingly at her companions.

"Nope," she replied, handing him the money. "I can get it myself."

Chuckling condescendingly, he gestured to the mallets, "Take your pick then."

Giving the man a confident grin, she picked the largest mallet and easily hefted it onto her shoulder. The man watched with wide eyes as she moved into position and brought the huge hammer down with ease, the plunger shooting up to hit the bell with a resounding clang.

Smiling brightly she sat the mallet back in its place and took the Black Magician Girl plushie from the man's shaking hands. "Mana's going to love this."

"Okay guys, now that we've each effectively cleaned out the midway, how about we drop off our stuff and hit the rides?" Honda suggested, noting the wary expressions some of the other game vendors were giving them.

Yuugi started bouncing excitedly, "Oh! Let's go on the Tilt a Whirl first!"

Ryou nodded agreeably, "Then we can go on the Pirate ship afterwards-"

"and the mini-coaster after that!" Anzu added.

"Works for me," Jonouchi agreed, pressing a discrete KC emblem on his jacket to call someone over to retrieve their things. "And we can check out the rest of the rides as we walk."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"Kaiba-sama, here is the list of all the duelists registered for the competition."

"Thank you," he replied, taking the folder from his personal assistant. With just under one hour left until the opening ceremonies, he and his brother had finished most of the last minute details, leaving them time to check for anything out of the ordinary. Scanning the list, the brunet hikari noticed that there were quite a few new duelists listed but preliminary checks had confirmed that while they were new to Kaiba Corp tournaments, they had been competing officially since the beginning of the year or earlier. Registration for the official competitions started before the school year, long before they had taken their trip to Egypt, let alone the first of the attacks. Still, some of these the more experienced duelists had never shown an interest in unofficial tournaments before which left him a bit wary.

Reaching the last ten duelists, Kaiba's eyes narrowed when he spotted one name on the list. 'Siegfried Von Schroider. What in the hell is he doing here?'

((Seto-))

((I know Seth. He shouldn't be here. There's no reason for him to be here, but there's also no valid reason for me to kick him out.))

((We must watch him carefully _antyw akhu_. I have felt something disturbingly familiar about him from the beginning. I fear he may be the very enemy we are looking for.))

((I'll have Isono take care of it personally. I don't want to run the risk of him sensing any of the _ms-n hwi_ following him. If he's our enemy that will definitely tip him off.))

((Good thinking Seto. I shall inform the others to keep an eye out for him as well. Vigilance will be our best defense.))

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Despite leaving early to get a good spot for opening ceremonies, Yuugi and his friends still had to navigate through a very large crowd of people once they got there. Lucky for them, duelists were meant to be up front, but they had to get there first.

"Man, this thing doesn't even start for a whole half hour and it's already packed!" Honda groused as Yuugi, Ryou, and Jou looked for the other duelists.

"I told you we should have gotten here an hour before it was supposed to start," Anzu huffed, crossing her arms.

As usual Yuugi took the role of peace keeper. "Guys, don't fight, we'll find something."

"Yuugi's right, there's gotta be-"

"Jonouchi-sama?"

"GAH!"

Startled out of his wits by the deep voice coming from behind him, Jonouchi jumped in the air like a scalded cat. At the possibility of danger, Honda whirled to face their attacker and promptly burst into hysterics.

"Oh, hello Isono-san," Ryou greeted the tall Kaiba bodyguard while their blond friend tried to slow his heart rate. "I take it you're here to retrieve Jonouchi-kun?"

Inwardly shaking his head at the blond's antics, the older man nodded. "Also, I'm to take the rest of you to the VIP section up front."

"You gotta start wearing a bell!" Jonouchi complained to cover up his embarrassment. How could he have allowed the human bodyguard to sneak up on him? He was better than that and it was high time he started acting like it before some one he cared for got hurt!

Knowing exactly what was bothering him, Anzu placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. She too had been lax in her body guarding skills. In the old days, they would have sensed Isono yards away from them.

"If you would all follow me then." Isono waved a hand off to one direction, waiting patiently for them to move. Ever since Egypt, his employer had been different. Better but different. And now he seemed to be worried about some one attacking them, yet he had no concrete proof as to whom. There was something strange going on within the Kaiba household and he knew it. The man only hoped that his employer would trust him enough to disclose the full truth before someone was injured or worse.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Weaving through the crowd was a cake walk with Isono and the other select members of the Kaiba Corp security force creating a path for them and in no time, the teens were at the front of the crowd. Mokuba was there waiting for them and brought them all up to speed as to what was going on, including a hushed conversation concerning Siegfried and the other unusual participants.

Right on the hour, Seto and Pegasus came onto the stage and launched into their speech, welcoming the duelists and their families to the competition. Putting on his game face, Seto laid out the rules for all participants: Dueling was to be conducted using the Duel Disks and under tournament regulations. No ante dueling. Like Battle City, each participant would have to gather 6 key cards in order to learn the location of the finals. Key cards would not activate unless won in a match and the first eight duelists to arrive at the location would be the finalists. Stolen cards would not function for anyone but the last person to win them and the map with the finals location could not be activated unless you had won all six cards. Additionally, Kaiba Corp and I2 (3) officials would be monitoring the duels across the city to watch for cheating of any kind. Duels could take place in any public location, but hotels and personal residences were off limits and camping outside of these locations in wait would result in an immediate disqualification. (Glancing at Yuugi, Seto caught the small hikari mouthing the words "thank you" with an immensely grateful expression on his face.) The first part of the tournament would last three to five days, depending on how long it takes for the eight finalists to be determined. Afterwards, the finals would be held on the final two days.

Taking over so Seto could join his lover and their friends, Pegasus gave out the final instructions. "You have one hour to spread out across the city and prepare for your duels. Your Duel Disks will automatically turn on when the competition begins, so good luck, young duelists and don't forget to enjoy yourselves!"

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"Hey Mutou! I'm challenging you first!"

Turning around, Yuugi came face-to-face with his opponent, one slender eyebrow raising at the teen's arrogant sneer. (( Yet another ego maniacal newbie duelist.)) he sighed mentally.

((Ari?)) Atem was confused by his light's attitude. Normally the teen was not so negative towards his opponents

((Every time I run across one of these guys, they all want the same thing,)) he explained tiredly as his duel disk locked into place.

"Once I beat the King of Games, the rest of this tournament will be a breeze!" the teen declared grinning nastily at the petite teen.

"You should never declare a victory until the final card is played," Yuugi replied, a predatory smile crossing his features.

The other boy snorted disdainfully, "Sounds more like an excuse to me."

The hikari shrugged carelessly, "If you say so."

Glaring at the petite teen, the other boy made no reply save to activate his own duel disk.

"DUEL START!" They both cried out.

Watching from inside the puzzle Atem's expression now mirrored his light's. This was going to be good.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

1 - Not knowing the first thing about Tarot cards, I got my information on the meanings of the cards from this site: www. paranormality. com and on the simple 5 card spread from www. angelpaths. com/ spreads. html (remove extra spaces)

2 - sempai, honorific used to refer to your older classmates or co-workers with more seniority.

3 - Industrial Illusions


	15. Chapter 15

Hey! Sorry about the late update, but I did get one in! *_grins sheepishly_* Also, I wanted to give a big thank you to Lostariel for helping me further correct my French in chapter 11. Sankyuu!

* * *

Title: Evading Destiny  
Part: 15/?  
Author: Murasaki Rose  
Beta: none  
Genre: Romance/Fantasy/AU  
Rating: R  
Spoilers: Yami Yuugi's real name  
Warnings: Yaoi (male x male), implied Mpreg  
Pairings: YYxY, SxJxS, DxT, YBxR, YMxM  
Minor Pairings: BMGxA, BMxK, TxCxH, HxO, PxC, IxM  
Disclaimer: Here we go. Yu-Gi-Oh and all its characters are the property of Kazuki Takahashi, Shueisha, Konami, Toei, and unfortunately, 4 Kids Entertainment. In other words, I don't own them and I'm not making any money off of this, I'm just a fangirl having some fun.  
A/N: "text" = speech, 'text' = thought, ((text)) = telepathy

Summary: Sequel to Retrieving Destiny. Months after their fateful trip to Egypt, the reunited soul mates continue to adjust to their new life in Domino as well as the modern teens' impending graduation. Things appear to be going well until a strange series of seemingly random attacks and bizarre accidents begin plaguing both the lights and their protectors, forcing their lovers into action. In order to protect their mates, the ancient beings must now determine not only the fate of the "lost" city of Atlantis, but also their entire species! The race is on to find the answers before they all face annihilation at the hands of an unknown enemy.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

As Yuugi and the other Duelists traversed Domino in search of competitors, their friends searching for Atlantis were trekking through the subterranean volcanic caverns, of the Canary Islands.

The group of five had been exploring for hours, several of them wondering if they would even find the next clue, when Dartz abruptly stopped in front of a huge stone column in the center of the cavern they were searching. Waving a hand across it, he dispelled the illusion revealing the hidden text for him and his light to decipher.

"Any idea where we'll be going next?" Amelda asked with a bit of trepidation. As happy as he had been to join up with them, they had traveled into some very dangerous territory, making him immensely grateful that Mai and Isis had once again offered to stay back at the hotel with his little brother. Even after having traveled with them for over a week, he was still a bit in awe of how much his life had changed and sometimes couldn't believe he'd been allowed to go.

At the end of their talk with the elders, the head elder had astonished the hikari and yami by insisting that Amelda and Miruko accompany them on their journey. Neither boy had been adverse to the idea, but Amelda had felt a little hurt that they seemed so eager to get rid of them. Fortunately, one of the elder women realized what the boys might be thinking and reassured them that they didn't want them to leave, but had always known that greater things awaited them. With the arrival of the Atlantean King and Queen, they were sure of it and wanted them to go and find their destiny. "You will always have a home here, but your place is with them."

A quick phone call home to Seto the next day hammered out the final arrangements and two days later, the group of eight were on their way to Indonesia (1). They found the clue without incident but found that their next destination was going to be a lot trickier to manage. Antarctica wasn't a place for tourists. To avoid attracting unwanted attention, they traveled to Brazil, then down to Argentina and, after leaving Miruko with Isis and Mai at a hotel, used their magic to transport themselves to the arctic continent. They'd had to rely heavily on their magic not only to keep them warm but also to navigate the harsh, unforgiving climate.

"I don't care where we go as long as it's not Antarctica again. That was hellish," Marik grumbled while Malik nodded in agreement. The Egyptian born and bred light and dark pair had had the most trouble adjusting to the violently cold environment, even with their magic to assist them.

"That won't be a problem," Dartz assured them, "It appears that we'll be heading for an unmapped island in the North Atlantic Ocean."

"Love, don't these drawings look significantly newer than the last ones?" Tomoya asked, still staring intently at the carvings.

Leaning in for a second look, Dartz' eyes widened slightly, "They do. If I'm not mistaken, they were carved sometime within the last five centuries."

Amelda regarded the carved map thoughtfully, "I think the easiest way to get there would be to head for the Bermuda islands, then charter a boat to check the area directly."

Malik nodded in agreement, "Sounds like a good idea to me, so let's get that illusion back up and get back to the hotel pronto!"

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Bermuda was gorgeous and flocking with tourists, making it easy for their group to blend in. After language spells were cast on their entire party, they split into three groups to search out a trustworthy captain willing to take them deep into the heart of the Bermuda Triangle. Their first day was a bust, most boat owners unwilling to take tourists out so far into the ocean and the ones that would far too shady to trust, so the disheartened group retired to their hotel for the night.

The next morning after breakfast they split up and headed out again, with Mai and Isis taking Miruko to check out the tour boats while Malik and Marik went one way down the remaining docks and Dartz, Hanasaki, and Amelda went the other way.

Several hours passed and Atlantean trio had still had no success. Deciding on taking a short break for a late lunch, the three young men were deciding on where they should eat when they were approached by another young man.

"You fella's lookin' to charter a boat?" came a friendly voice from behind them, the Australian accent a bit out of place amongst the other boat owners they'd come across (2).

"Yes, we're looking for one that can safely carry eight-" Dartz' voice cut off as he found himself staring straight at the last of his missing royal guard.

The brunet youth stared back at the trio, he'd thought they looked familiar from behind, but now that he was staring them in the face, he was sure he'd seen them before. If only he knew from where . . .

"Polemistis (3)," Amelda murmured, his breath hitching slightly at the sight of the young man with long, brown hair that rose in spikes similar to Yugi and Atem's, but with much shorter, more controlled bangs.

Green eyes widened and locked onto equally wide gray ones, "Athene?" he asked softly, before shaking his head to clear it. He couldn't afford to get lost in flights of fancy any more. "Name's Varon and eight passengers won't be a problem. I've got myself a sturdy little cruiser that'll fit ten comfortably enough," he grinned and hooked his thumbs in his belt loops. "Where are you going and how long did you want to be there?"

Amelda and his mate still a bit stunned, Hanasaki took over, " We want to travel to the center of the Bermuda Triangle, but none of us have any idea how long that will take. Is that a problem?"

Varon smiled and gave the orange-haired teen a shallow bow, "Maybe for some of these other guys but not for me. If you'll just follow me, I'll show you the boat before you make your decision."

Hanasaki smiled back, "We'd love to see your boat, Varon."

A few minutes later they arrived in front of a boat that, as promised, was easily large enough to carry them all, but was in serious need of a paint job.

Knowing exactly what they were thinking Varon gestured toward the gang plank, "Feel free to take a look at her. She may not be pretty but she's plenty sea worthy. Passed all her inspections with flying colors," the young man said proudly.

Wanting to establish a sense of trust between them and the former knight, Dartz smoothly reassured the teen that they would trust his judgement and asked when the boat could be ready to sail.

Varon tilted his head and cupped his chin thoughtfully, "Well, if I get going on the shopping now, I can have her fully stocked and ready to go by morning."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"I have good news for you," Dartz stated as they sat down for dinner. "We have found a trustworthy captain willing to take us out into the Triangle."

"How can you be sure?" Marik asked, his face set in a scowl.

"Because he is Polemistis' reincarnation," Tomoya explained, chuckling softly at the startled expressions of the four Egyptians.

"Another one? What are you magnetic or something?"

"It seems the Gods are guiding us in our journey." Isis placed a hand on Malik's shoulder to calm him, much like she would for Marik.

Glancing over at the single knight in their party, Mai raised an eyebrow, "Is that why Amelda looks like he's having a breakdown?"

"Amelda? Are you all right?"

Gripping his hair in both fists Amelda brought his head down, propped it up on the table by his elbows, and groaned in frustration. "Oh great Hera (4) and Aphrodite (5) what am I going to do? He recognized me but in all his memories I'm a woman! There's no reason for him to want me as a man!"

"You remember him?"

Still patting his brother's shoulder, Miruko explained the older red-head's angst. "Big brother has been dreaming about Polemistis for years but he never thought he'd get to meet him for real."

Gripping Amelda's shoulders and giving the teen a sharp shake, Mai forced the red head to look her in the eyes. "Amelda. Calm down. You need to talk to him **before** you start panicking." She could see the moment her words reached the teen when his gray eyes returned to their normal size. Assured he was listening, she went on, "We're going to be on the boat with him, **alone**, for the next couple of days. I'm sure you can use that time to get close to him and find out if he's gay or not."

"He could be bi too, ya know," Malik piped up.

"Not helping, Malik."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Polemistis' reincarnation or not, Varon earned bonus points with Amelda the minute he tucked Mikuro into a safety life vest before the boy could even set a toe on the gang plank. The young man had then handed out vests for the rest of them while giving them the required safety lecture. Just by looking at them he could tell they weren't typical tourists, but for some reason he felt at ease amongst the odd group of foreigners. Really he was just more curious than anything. Then there was the red head . . .

"So Varon, how did a nineteen year-old from Australia end up all the way out here owning a boat in Bermuda?" Malik asked their young captain.

The spiky-haired brunet chuckled, "Well, luck had a lot to do with it. Both good and bad." He looked up to the sky, "See I kept having these dreams. Dreams that made me restless and anxious for something I'd never find if I stayed. So I left Australia before I graduated high school and started traveling the world. Landed myself in trouble a few times, but eventually I ended up here in Bermuda. I made friends with an elderly man who left the boat to me in his will. After that I got my citizenship, all the licenses and permits I needed then went into business."

"Wow."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Not long before sunset, Varon had dropped the anchor and prepped the boat and it's passengers ready and settled down for the night. By the time he had finished his duties, the sky had long been dark and the only sounds he heard were from the ocean itself. Giving the boat one last look, he did a double-take. At some point Amelda had come back on deck and was now seated on top of the cabin.

"Not ready to sleep yet?" he asked the red headed male receiving little more than a non-committal grunt in reply.

Sighing, the brunet decided that now was better than never and climbed up to join the other teen. Sitting down next to him, he looked up at the stars above. "Beautiful night, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

The two sat in an uncomfortable silence for a while before Varon tried again. "So . . . that name you called me before . . . Where- where did you hear it?"

"Same place as you I suspect. In my dreams."

Staring at the slender male seated next to him, Varon blinked in surprise, "So you really are Athene then?"

Unable to look at his former lover, Amelda kept his face averted as he answered, "Yes."

"You came back as a guy?"

Snorting, Amelda glared darkly at the shorter teen, "Well excuse me for not being able to choose my own gender in utero!"

Holding up his hands in a defensive position Varon attempted to make peace. Even though he was more muscular than the red head, he didn't doubt the slender teen could kick his ass should he want to. "Sorry! I didn't mean it that way!"

Huffing, Amelda crossed his arms and turned away.

"You know I searched for you," Varon started again. "I'd been dreaming about you for so long, I had to try and find you. I looked to you as my personal goddess to keep me going when things would get bad."

Amelda laughed humorlessly, " and then you got **me** instead."

Getting angry now, Varon grabbed Amelda's chin and forced him to face him. "Stop it. I don't care that you're not a woman this time. I've loved you all my life and now that I've found you, I'm not you letting go."

Amelda's angry-hurt expression melted in confusion, "Wha-?" he started, cut off by a gentle kiss.

Pulling away just far enough that the taller boy could see his expression, Varon's next statement cemented his sincerity in Amelda's mind. "No matter how many times we're reincarnated, you will always be mine," he vowed before leaning in again to devour the tempting lips of his soul mate.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

After breakfast the next morning, the group got underway yet again, but not without a little good-natured teasing at Amelda and Varon's expense. Miruko had woken early and found them snuggled together in Varon's bunk and the group had been poking fun at them all morning. Too happy to care, the teens took the teasing in stride and went about their business, smiling when ever they caught the other's eye.

"So what is it we're lookin' for?" Varon asked as continued to guide the boat towards the heart of the Triangle.

"We'll know it when we run across it," Dartz replied. Truthfully, even he did not know exactly what it was they were looking for.

Suddenly the skies grew dark and the ocean restless. Checking his instruments, Varon found that every one of them had gone haywire. Even the compass was spinning wildly out of control! Attempting to contact someone via radio, the brunet was greeted by nothing but silence and static. "I've heard of this happening out here but I never thought I'd experience it!"

Staring straight into the approaching storm, Dartz sensed something familiar. "Head straight for the heart of the storm Varon, that is where we need to go."

"Are you crazy?"

Gold eyes flashing dangerously, Dartz leveled the teen with a fierce glare, "No, I am your king. Something you know no matter how incomplete your memories are. Earlier, we put our trust in you, now I ask you to do the same of me."

Varon held the man's gaze for a time before finally nodding sharply. "All right, but if we sink, it's your fault."

"I'll take that responsibility."

Fighting through the storm proved to be even more difficult than Varon had expected, and he had thought it near impossible. Not having enough of his own memories to utilize his magic, Amelda had taken Miruko safely below deck . Tomoya could feel the magic in the storm as he and the others used their power to keep the boat from being capsized by the increasingly violent waves. With the others stabilizing the craft, Varon continued to keep the ship on a steady course towards the heart of the storm and was stunned when the violent weather abruptly stopped.

Blinking fiercely as his eyes recovered from the glaring sunlight, Varon gaped at the sight before him. 'Either I'm dreaming, dead, or we're not in the Atlantic anymore,' he thought faintly.

Directly ahead of them, a lush tropical island stretched out across the horizon, there were boats and other watercraft coming in and out of a beautiful lagoon, while strange creatures and aircraft flew across the sky above. Just south of the island was the most incredible sight of all for over-looking the island, miles above the water, was the gleaming city of Atlantis.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

November 30, 2009  
-edited: January 29 2011

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

1 - Antarctica, Indonesia, and the Canary Islands are just a few of the rumored possible locations of Atlantis.

2 - Just like with Rafael, it is implied that Varon is from Australia.

3 - warrior (Greek)

4 - Queen of the Greek Gods and goddess of marriage, women, childbirth, heirs, kings, and empires.

5 - Goddess of love, lust, beauty, seduction, and pleasure.


	16. Chapter 16

Title: Evading Destiny  
Part: 16/?  
Author: Murasaki Rose  
Beta: none  
Genre: Romance/Fantasy/AU  
Rating: R  
Spoilers: Yami Yuugi's real name  
Warnings: Yaoi (male x male), implied Mpreg  
Pairings: YYxY, SxJxS, DxT, YBxR, YMxM  
Minor Pairings: BMGxA, BMxK, TxCxH, HxO, PxC, IxM, VxA  
Disclaimer: Here we go. Yu-Gi-Oh and all its characters are the property of Kazuki Takahashi, Shueisha, Konami, Toei, and unfortunately, 4 Kids Entertainment. In other words, I don't own them and I'm not making any money off of this, I'm just a fangirl having some fun.  
A/N: "text" = speech, 'text' = thought, ((text)) = telepathy

Summary: Months after their fateful trip to Egypt, the reunited soul mates continue to adjust to their new life in Domino as well as the modern teens' impending graduation. Things appear to be going well until a strange series of seemingly random attacks and bizarre accidents begin plaguing both the lights and their protectors, forcing their lovers into action. In order to protect their mates, the ancient beings must now determine not only the fate of the "lost" city of Atlantis, but also their entire species! The race is on to find the answers before they all face annihilation at the hands of an unknown enemy.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Feet pounding the sidewalk in a steady rhythm, one hand on the Sennen Puzzle's chain to keep it from bouncing painfully against his chest, Yuugi jogged towards his destination: the Domino City stadium. Jogging alongside him, Anzu was talking on her cell phone to Ryou, who had left his apartment moments ago en-route to the same destination.

"Ryou-kun should get there shortly after we do," she told her childhood friend as she slipped her phone back into her purse without breaking stride.

Yuugi smiled, "That's great! I just hope we get there in time to be in the finals."

The brunette gave him an odd look, " . . . . Yuugi, it's five thirty in the morning and they aren't letting anyone in until seven."

"But Anzu! There could be people outside already waiting!" he fretted, increasing his pace anxiously.

Shaking her head, Anzu hurried after him. Her little game boy . . . never a dull moment with him. "Yuugi! Slow down or you'll wear yourself out!"

Even traveling on foot, they made good time and arrived just after six o'clock. Much to Yuugi's delight and relief, the only other duelists there were Kaiba and Jonouchi.

Of course Jonouchi and Kaiba had already known the location of the finals, but just like the other duelists they had to win six key cards to compete in the finals. The brunet hikari and his companions were waiting by the wall next to the stadium entrance. Seto's back was against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, his blue eyes closed against the morning sun. Standing next to him, Jonouchi was in the same position, except his head had lolled over to rest on the brunet's shoulder where he was snoring lightly. Seated on the ground next to them, Honda had Mokuba resting on his lap, both boys also appeared to be asleep.

Blue eyes snapped open and locked onto the approaching pair as they came within a yard of their space. Recognizing the tri-color-haired hikari and his bodyguard Kaiba inwardly relaxed, Seth praising his improved senses.

"Yuugi. Mazaki."

Yuugi giggled as Anzu rolled her eyes, "Honestly Kaiba-kun. How long is it going to take before you'll call me Anzu?"

The brunet hikari merely smirked in reply, making the brunette female huff in annoyance.

"What did you do to Jonouchi-kun to wear him out so badly?" Yuugi teased, hoping to distract the brunets and head off an impending argument.

Woken by the conversation Mokuba yawned and gave a sleepy giggle, "We had some pre-finals stuff to do today with Pegasus-san so Nii-sama woke us all up at 4 this morning. Poor Jonouchi-ni and Honda-kun have been falling asleep on their feet all morning."

"Ohayoo minna! (1)"

Ryou's bright and cheerful voice cut through the quiet morning, jerking Jonouchi and Honda out of their slumber. Honey brown and hazel eyes focused blearily on the smiling silver-haired teen approaching them before they noticed that Yuugi and Anzu were already there.

"Looks like I'm the last of our group to arrive!"

Yuugi nodded, "But you're only the fourth finalist."

Ryou was surprised, "Really? I would have thought there would have been at least one other duelist here before us. I wonder who-?"

"Yuugi darling! I knew you would be here!" an excited voice exclaimed just before a tall, pretty Chinese woman, wearing a red China dress with her long black hair up in buns on either side of the top of her head, swept the petite duelist into a tight hug, crushing his head against her ample chest.

"If I didn't know he was gay, I would be so pissed off at her right now," Anzu muttered to Jonouchi who nodded his agreement.

"How much ya wanna bet Pharaoh's throwing a conniption fit in the Puzzle?"

"Please, I **know** he's throwing one."

Meanwhile being the polite guy he was, poor Yuugi was having a great deal of trouble extricating himself from the Chinese duelist's tight grip. Finally grabbing hold of her upper arms he managed to pulled his head back and gasp for air. "Nice . . . to . . . see you . . . too . . . Vivian-san," he panted.

The woman nuzzled his cheek affectionately, "Oh Yuugi, it's been so long since we last saw each oth-hey!" she cut off with an indignant cry when the petite teen was wrenched out of her arms. Scowling at the man that had stolen Yuugi from her, she was taken aback by the dark glare he gave her as he held the smaller teen in a very possessive embrace.

"Atem! What are you doing here?" Yuugi gasped in surprise, silently asking the same thing through their link, though his tone was entirely different. ((Seriously. What. are. you. doing?))

"I just wanted to be here for you during the finals since I was unable to join you for the beginning of the competition," the yami cooed innocently, getting a raised eyebrow from his light and nearly sending the rest of their friends into hysterical laughter.

Annoyed by the strange man's attitude, Vivian eyed the newcomer suspiciously. "Yuugi-kun, who is this?"

Embarrassed by his lack of manners, Yuugi's cheeks colored slightly, making the Chinese duelist squeal in delight and his jealous yami tighten his grip around his hikari's waist. "Vivian-san this is my boyfriend Atem. Atem-koi, this is Vivian Wong, the Chinese Duel Monsters champion."

"Boyfriend?" the woman exclaimed, pouting sadly when the Japanese duelist nodded in confirmation. "Hmph. Well, you had better take good care of him or you'll have to answer to me mister," she declared, jabbing the pharaoh in the chest for emphasis. "I won't stand for anyone hurting Yuugi-kun."

Pleased by her unexpected acceptance of their relationship and the fierce protectiveness she showed towards his light, Atem nodded his agreement. But he still wouldn't trust her alone with his **_akhu_**.

Said light prodded his dark gently,l ((I'm still waiting for that answer, Atem.))

With the threat of Vivian under control, Atem settled his hikari more comfortably against him. ((What I said earlier was true, but also our enemy already knows who we are and who was sealed into which items. We know they had been monitoring us for some time before the attacks, so even if they do not know who I am, they at least know of me.)) He nuzzled the crook of Yuugi's neck, ((Also I believe that during the finals it would be best for at least two of us to already be fully manifested.))

((Two?))

((Yes, Mana. She has been seen both at your school and at the graduation ceremony with Anzu. I have already advised her to make her appearance at the start of the tournament. Seth will have Seto make arrangements to get us both in.))

Kissing the his lover's cheek, Yuugi gave him a knowing look, he knew jealousy was an amazing motivational tool for a yami. ((And how long after Vivian hugged me did it take for you to think of this?))

((. . . .))

((That's what I thought.))

"Whoa there Mutou! Looks like you finally caught yourself the big one!" a familiar voice called out.

Grinning, Yuugi turned and waved cheerfully at the fisherman duelist. "Ryouta-kun!" (2)

"Glad you made it man!" Jonouchi thumped the spiky, blue gray-haired man on the shoulder in greeting. "I thought I saw you at the opening ceremonies."

The dark-tanned duelist laughed agreeably, "You did. I decided to avoid dueling with you lot until we met at the finals."

Any further conversation was cut short by the arrival of a very unwelcome competitor.

"Hee hee hee! (3) I expected to see Yuugi and Kaiba, but I'm shocked that you made it here Jonouchi."

Turning to face the newest arrival, Jonouchi glared darkly at the weasely-voiced duelist. "Haga," he gritted out, visibly restraining himself from causing bodily harm to the light-green haired teen, with the bowl hair cut, and huge round glasses. The two duelists shared a deep animosity towards one another, stemming all the way back to the Duelist Kingdom tournament three years ago.

"Must be nice having your boyfriend in charge of a tournament," he sneered at the blond.

"Why you-!"

"Jonouchi-kun don't!" Yuugi, Honda and Ryou leapt forward and latched onto the blond, barely stopping him from beating the snot out of the annoying bug duelist.

Opening his mouth to taunt the restrained teen again, his mouth clamped shut as Atem abruptly appeared in front of him, literally looming over him despite the yami only standing a few centimeters taller. "I hope you are not implying that either Jonouchi or Seto have been anything less than honorable in their conduct. If you are, I may have to take . . . offense."

Wide-eyed in fear, the bug-obsessed duelist shook his head rapidly and slowly backed away from Mutou's seriously terrifying boyfriend. Scuttling over to the wall, he nearly squealed in terror when he spotted the even darker glare being given to him by Seto Kaiba himself and hurriedly tried to make himself as invisible as possible.

Fortunately for him, the eighth finalist was approaching the assembled duelists putting every light, dark, and **_ms-n hwi_** on high alert. Each teen struggling not to show how tense his presence was making them. Siegfried Von Schroider had arrived.

Walking up to the group, Siegfried's eyes narrowed at the tri-color-haired yami and hikari. 'So_** Per-aA**_ chose to make an appearance then?' His men had kept him up to date on the entire tournament, informing him of the _**kkwy**_'s odd absence. To Siegfried it was obvious that the dark creatures were keeping hidden watch on their light halves, so he was mildly surprised by the sudden appearance of one until he spotted Vivian Wong pouting off to one side. Knowing of her intense fixation on the world's number one and two top duelists, he easily guessed what had occurred before his arrival. 'I see, jealous someone else was touching your _**akhu**_,_** Per-aA**_? Don't worry, I'll send you both to the afterlife together.'

"Good morning duelists!" Pegasus greeted the assembled teens, a cheerful smile on his face, Cynthia standing beside him, a laptop case in her hands. "As soon as Croquet and Isono get everything ready we'll get started," he explained, gesturing to the table Isono and Croquet were setting up. Isono then taking a small, rectangular scanning device out of a locked box and setting it up on one side of the table while Croquet took the laptop out of the case Cynthia was carrying and set it up on the other side.

"Now if you would all line up and put your key cards into the scanner, we can move on to the next phase." One by one, each duelist followed the directions and after they inserted their sixth card, the system registered and congratulated them on making it to the finals.

As the last of the duelists was confirmed, the signal went out to the computers of the employees at Kaiba Corp and Industrial Illusions in charge of advertising and media. Within minutes, advertisements went on the air worldwide, announcing the location of the finals, the time they would begin, and what channel they would be aired on. Tickets for the event had been sold out for months, the purchasers aware that the tournament's specific location in Domino would not be revealed until mere hours before the tournament finals began.

"Duelists, if you will follow me I'll fill you in on the details of today's events before you sit down for a brief press conference. Afterwards you will be treated to a fabulous breakfast buffet, catered by one of the finest restaurants in Domino City."

Unable to say anything without unknown parties overhearing them, Yuugi, Ryou, Seto, and Jou bade good by to their friends and headed inside. Those left behind watched tensely as the gates shut, each one lost in their own thoughts.

A loud growl caught their attention and they all gave the younger Kaiba an astonished look.

Blue eyes blinked in surprise, "That was almost as loud as Jonouchi's stomach."

Mokuba grinned at his older companions, "I'm going through a growth spurt," he defended, not looking the least bit upset about the comparison. "How about we go snag some breakfast, Nii-sama's treat."

Honda grinned back, "Sounds good to me kid."

"I will return to the puzzle until it is time for the duels to begin," Atem told them, checking first to see if anyone was watching before vanishing.

Looking back at the stadium, Anzu frowned nervously. "They'll be fine Anzu," Honda reassured her, "Jonouchi's tougher than he looks and they've got Atem, Seth, and Bakura with them."

"I know."

Mokuba grabbed their hands and started pulling, "C'mon, let's go get some breakfast, I'm starving!"

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

November 21, 2010  
-edited February 15, 2011

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

1 - Morning everyone!

2 - Kaijiki Ryouta or Mako Tsunami to you dub-only fans.

3 - Insector Haga aka Weevil Underwood. Anyone who's watched the anime in Japanese knows exactly how annoying and slightly creepy his laugh is.


	17. Chapter 17

4/30/11 - Fixed two typos. I still can't believe I let both of those slip my attention. (_bangs head against desk_)

* * *

Title: Evading Destiny  
Part: 17/20  
Author: Murasaki Rose  
Beta: none  
Genre: Romance/Fantasy/AU  
Rating: R  
Spoilers: Yami Yuugi's real name  
Warnings: Yaoi (male x male), implied Mpreg  
Pairings: YYxY, SxJxS, DxT, YBxR, YMxM  
Minor Pairings: BMGxA, BMxK, TxCxH, HxO, PxC, IxM  
Disclaimer: Here we go. Yu-Gi-Oh and all its characters are the property of Kazuki Takahashi, Shueisha, Konami, Toei, and unfortunately, 4 Kids Entertainment. In other words, I don't own them and I'm not making any money off of this, I'm just a fangirl having some fun.  
A/N: "text" = speech, 'text' = thought, ((text)) = telepathy

Summary: Sequel to Retrieving Destiny. Months after their fateful trip to Egypt, the reunited soul mates continue to adjust to their new life in Domino as well as the modern teens' impending graduation. Things appear to be going well until a strange series of seemingly random attacks and bizarre accidents begin plaguing both the lights and their protectors, forcing their lovers into action. In order to protect their mates, the ancient beings must now determine not only the fate of the "lost" city of Atlantis, but also their entire species! The race is on to find the answers before they all face annihilation at the hands of an unknown enemy.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"Holy . ." the brunet teen breathed, staring in awe at the sight before him. What he was seeing defied all explanation and at the same time was everything he'd seen in his dreams and more.

"Well done, Varon." Dartz congratulated the youth before sweeping out the cabin door to meet his jubilant light.

The small, orange-haired hikari barely slowed his run in time to grab Dartz' hand as he ran towards the bow of the boat nearly dragging his lover behind him in his excitement. "Thank the gods, we found it and it's still intact!"

Wrapping the small teen up in his arms, Dartz held him tight, "Yes, my love, we have found it. We've found our home."

"Home," the small light murmured, snuggling into his lover's embrace.

"Wow! Is that really Atlantis?" Miruko exclaimed, startling the pair. They'd been so caught up in their joy that they hadn't noticed when they'd been joined by their companions.

Mai smiled down at the excited boy, "Sure is kid."

Looking for Amelda, Isis noticed he was strangely absent. "Where is your brother, little one?"

"Big brother's in the cabin with Varon. He told me to stay out here with you guys."

Marik and Malik snickered playfully getting glares from Isis and Mai and a confused head tilt from Miruko. What was so funny?

Inside the cabin, Varon continued to steer the boat towards the island, Amelda's arms wrapped around his waist snugly, but not so tight as to interfere. The newly-reunited lovers enjoying the view of their former home dominating the sky in all its shining glory.

"Dreams don't do it justice," the red-head stated, staring out the window in awe.

"Ain't that the truth," the brunet agreed.

"Varon! The docks are straight ahead!" Tomoya yelled from his place at the bow.

The spiky-haired brunet grabbed a pair of binoculars to confirm the orange-haired teen's sighting. Sure enough, there was an active marina with several open docks. Surveying the area, he noted that the only potential problem with docking there was that the space might belong to one of the boats already out in the open water. As a matter of fact the closer they got to the island, the more boats and water craft they saw, each manned by humans or anthros.

At one point a water dragon began pacing the boat, eventually lifting it's massive head out of the water to check out the craft's occupants. The great beast had roared softly (For a dragon that is.) and Miruko had squealed in delight, making the dragon's chest swell proudly before the water got too shallow and it had to retreat to deeper waters. Further away, the teens caught sight of a herd of hippocampus (1) splashing through the water, their whinnies and neighing echoing across the water.

Not long after the dragon left them, a man popped up out of the water and hailed their boat. After a brief discussion, the man offered to lead them to an unoccupied docking space. Varon quickly agreed and offered to throw him a rope to help him aboard, but the man declined. "It'll be faster if I just swim ahead of you!" he'd replied, diving into the water and swimming about 20 yards away. Waving back at the wide-eyed group of newcomers he waited patiently for them to recover from the shock of having seen his tail. This was his favorite part of his job.

Chuckling at his companions, Dartz urged Varon to get a move on. "Honestly, I'm surprised at all of you. It's not like he's the first merman you've met."

"Well excuse me for being reincarnated!" Malik snapped, crossing his arms across his chest and scowling. "I'd never even met anyone with magic until a few months ago."

Hugging him and nuzzling his hair, Marik tried to soothe his angry hikari. ((Don't feel bad _**mry**_. I've never seen a merman before either. Egypt was poorly suited for them to be born in our lands and it was too dangerous for them to live in the Nile.))

Mollified, the tanned hikari relaxed into his darkness' embrace and enjoyed the ride through the marina. Soon enough, the group reached the empty docking space where the merman helped tie off the boat before leaving them with instructions to head west to reach the marina's exit.

"It appears they are used to new arrivals," Isis commented as they helped Varon finish a few necessary tasks on the boat before disembarking. Most of the group left their lifejackets safely on board except for Miruko, whom neither Varon or Amelda would allow to take his off until he was safely off the boat, then Varon ran his life jacket back up onboard.

As they headed for the exit, the group received many friendly greetings from the people working in the marina. Their meeting with the harbor master confirmed Isis' thought's when he had Varon register his boat. Noting the brunet's discomfort, the man was quick to reassure him that the boat would be perfectly safe for however long it remained docked there.

"What do you mean by that?" Varon asked, the man's odd wording making him suspicious.

"Nothing bad, young man and if you'll just go along with the fine fellows behind you, you'll get your answers soon enough."

Varon slammed his palms down onto the counter, "What do you mean by that?"

"Ah, Varon?" Amelda interrupted.

"Yes?"

"Turn around please."

Curious now, the brunet complied and came face to face with a squad of Atlantean knights decked out in full armor.

"Oh great, just great!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands up in exasperation.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

After firmly, but politely informing the new arrivals that they were to go with them, the knights led the group to an air boat roughly the size of a small bus. To the surprise of the current Atlanteans, the entire group boarded the craft with no complaint, seating themselves as if this was an everyday occurrence with only the child and one of the teenagers having any sort of trouble. They were an odd group; appearing to be neither the holiday vacationers the knights were used to dealing with or the occasional treasure hunters. Still, it wasn't odd enough to cause them any concern. They only had to escort them to the magistracy so they could determine what sort of people had come to their island sanctuary this time.

As the craft took off, the delighted exclamation from the young boy brought smiles to several of their faces. No matter how many times they did this, the reactions they got from newcomers were always entertaining.

Poor Miruko didn't know where to look with all the dragons, pegasus, air vehicles and people, some winged and some not, flying around them. Laughing warmly, Amelda wrapped an arm around his little brother and directed his attention to the city straight ahead: This gave him the best view of the traffic heading to and from the magnificent city and even a glimpse of the tall spires of the palace towers.

Communicating through their link, Dartz and Tomoya observed the changes made over the millennia to the remains of their kingdom. They had noticed straight away that there had been very few changes to the knight's armor: The chain mail seemed to be a tighter coil and the enchantments seemed to be stronger, as though the spells had been layered and merged and the armor still bore the seal of the house of Atlantis, making Tomoya glad he had had the foresight to tuck the pendant under his shirt before they had disembarked Varon's boat. Once they took to the air boats seemed to be the same, but they could see glimpses of newer styles mixed amongst the older ones as they approached the city. Descending to a lower level of flight traffic, the air boat traveled down the streets just above the street level traffic below. Tomoya instantly noticed that there had been very little, if any changes to most of the architecture, but there were signs of modern progress dotting the populace below. Traveling in the same lanes as the horse drawn carriages, chariots, and carts, were vehicles of multiple types and eras. He'd noticed a similar variety of crafts in the marina as well. Yet despite all the modern vehicles, their wasn't even a trace of exhaust in the air, so the teen figured they were powering them magically. On the sidewalks, street vendors were selling many familiar and some not-so familiar foods. Some he remembered having in his first life and others, like hotdogs, were definitely new additions. Clothing too, showed a great deal of variety, mixing the classic Atlantean wear with styles from all over the world and from different points in history.

Their short visual tour of the city came to an end when they arrived at building that Tomoya vaguely recognized, but could not remember it's purpose. Escorting them off the boat and into the building, the knights led them through an impressive lobby, down a long corridor and into a fairly large room at the far end. Lining them up in front of a long judicial bench and instructing them to remain where they were, the squad of knights took positions around the room to wait. Moments later the door off to their far right opened and in strode four figures: The first was an elderly mage carrying a gnarled wooden staff nearly as tall as he was, the second was a middle-aged woman who appeared human, but to anyone capable of reading magical auras could tell, was a shape-shifter, the third was a man apparently the same age as the woman, but was fully human with no discernable magic about him, and the fourth was a young centaur who gave the newcomers a warm, gentle smile.

Checking their auras, as he did with all new arrivals, the mage was stunned to find that not only did the entire group possess magic, but that there were **three** light and dark pairs amongst them! Keeping his expression neutral, he reminded himself that such occurrences were rare but not unheard of, and assumed that the strange group must have banded together to find this sanctuary.

"Welcome to Atlantis young ones," he greeted warmly. "I'm happy to be the first to welcome you to your new home, safe from persecution-"

"Um, excuse me, but we aren't really here to stay," Tomoya interrupted.

Nonplussed, the mage went another route, "Then you stumbled here by accident?"

"Not exactly, " Tomoya replied. "We were looking for Atlantis, but not for a permanent place to live. You see, my husband and I, along with Varon and Amelda here, are all originally from Atlantis."

"Impossible! We have magically recorded every birth in Atlantis since the city first went into hiding! Had you been born here, the protection spells would have recognized you and not alerted us!" the human magistrate argued.

Shaking his head gently the Japanese hikari smiled wryly, "I'm sorry, I should have been more specific. I was actually referring to my former life. We-" he waved his hands indicating his companions, "-died three thousand years ago and have only recently been reincarnated, with the exception of my husband. He has spent the last three millennia sealed away in this," the small teen explained patiently, pulling out the pendant from beneath his shirt.

Taking his husband's hand and giving the others a nod, the small teen and his darkness revealed their wings, the other yami and hikari following suit. "My name is Tomoya Hanasaki, reincarnation of Queen Tryphon, husband to King Dartz."

Smiling at his mate, Dartz followed his lead and introduced himself, "Dartz, son of Ironheart, King of Atlantis, recently freed from a three thousand year-long imprisonment."

"Marik, _**kkwy**_, chief tomb builder and engineer of _**Per-aA**_ Atem of Khemet's court."

"Malik Ishtar, _**akhu**_ to Marik."

"Isis, _**kkwy**_, Priestess and advisor of _**Per-aA**_ Atem's court."

"Mai Kujaku, reincarnation of Mie, _**akhu**_ to Isis, and warrior of _**Per-aA**_ Atem's court."

"Amelda, reincarnation of Athene, knight of Atlantis, and member of King Dartz and Queen Tryphon's personal guard."

"Miruko, Amelda's little brother!"

"Varon, reincarnation of Polemistis, knight of Atlantis, and member of King Dartz and Queen Tryphon's personal guard."

No one, not the four members of the magistrate or the guards that had brought them there, could think of anything else to say in response to such a bold statement. Never in all the millennia since their disappearance had anyone dared claim to be the lost King and Queen of Atlantis!

A loud bang startled everyone in the room as the large entrance doors burst open, admitting a huge black, serpentine dragon with glowing yellow eyes and long sharp spines running down it's back.

"**Master! It's really you**!" the beast exclaimed, nearly bowling Dartz over in his exuberance.

"L-Leviathan?" the aqua-haired man stuttered as he struggled to regain his balance. Stunned, he still managed to wrap his arms around the dragon's head to scratch behind his eye-ridges. He'd never expected to see his loyal dragon again and from the way the beast kept nuzzling his chest, he realized the dragon had clearly felt the same way.

Ignoring the gaping magistrates and knights, Tomoya laughed happily. "All right Leviathan, I'm sure he missed you too."

"**Tryphon!**"

"Ack!"

And now Tomoya was struggling to stand up under the dragon's affectionate nuzzles.

"I've never seen him so happy," a new voice mused, drawing everyone's attention to the main entrance where a beautiful woman with long teal hair and ocean-blue eyes stood watching the scene with obvious amusement.

"Your majesty!" the members of the magistracy and the knights bowed while the new arrivals took note of the tiara on her forehead and the unicursal pentagram pendant hanging from her neck.

Gesturing for the others to rise, she crossed the room to stand in front of the Atlantean King, "You must be my great grand uncle Dartz," she said carefully sizing him up before turning her attention to Hanasaki who had finally gotten Leviathan to settle down. "And you must be my great grand uncle-in-law Tryphon." She turned back to Dartz, "I am Sophia (2), current Queen of Atlantis. I've seen pictures of you both in the library and the Great Hall but I never imagined I would get the chance to meet you until a few months ago."

"How do you know we are who we claim to be?"

"Three thousand years ago, your mother Queen Aella (3), foresaw that you and your daughter were not dead and that your wife would return and created three soul stones. The stones would glow when you returned to the physical realm once more. Queen Tryphon's stone was the first to glow, six years before the birth of my son. Then a few months ago I noticed that first your stone and then your daughter's began to glow as well. Ever since that day, I have been awaiting your return as has Leviathan. Eighteen years ago was the first time in millennia that anyone had seen him show any great sign of emotion and when your stone lit . . . he was hard to contain. He wanted to go right out and find you."

Tomoya stroked the dragon's muzzle affectionately, "I'm glad you didn't. You would have caused all kinds of chaos if you had."

"**Hmph. I wanted to see you and my master again.**"

Dartz on the other hand, was regarding the woman before him thoughtfully. "You called me your uncle, yet I had no siblings."

She smiled, "True. At the time of your disappearance, you had no siblings, but two hundred years later, your mother gave birth to another child, your sister Eirene (4). She was born a mage as have all her descendants, including myself and my son Noah." Smiling at the former King, she gestured towards the door. "Please come to the palace and I will explain all that has transpired over the last three thousand years."

Nodding the aqua-haired Atlantean agreed, "Very well, and then we will explain why we have come as well."

She looked surprised, "You were not seeking out your home?"

"Yes, but not for the reasons we had originally intended."

"I see." Taking note of the grave expressions on the faces of her uncle and his companions, Queen Sophia quickly realized that this conversation was not for public ears. "Follow me then. We shall finish this discussion in the privacy of the palace."

Sweeping out the doors, the current Queen headed for her carriage, followed closely by Dartz and Tomoya, the rest of their group only a few steps behind. While her guards scrambled to arrange transport for the rest of her uncles' companions, the mage Queen couldn't shake the sense of foreboding. Whatever news her uncle had brought, she knew it did not bode well for their future.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

November 22, 2010  
-edited March 28, 2011

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

1 - Sea horse. But not the type you're used to. Full horse-sized creatures with the upper body of a horse and the lower body of a fish. Not to be confused with kelpies. Some tales have hippocampus as carnivorous beings, but they aren't in this universe. Because horses are herbivores, I thought they should be eating kelp and other ocean plants.

2 - Sophia. Ancient Greek - wisdom

3 - Aella. Ancient Greek - whirlwind (Dartz' mother)

4 - Eirene. Ancient Greek; original form of Irene (Dartz' sister)


	18. Chapter 18

Fixed a couple typos in the previous chapter: Removed an extra word from the first section and changed "grandmother" to "mother" in paragraph where Queen Sophia is explaining when Dartz became an older brother.

* * *

Title: Evading Destiny  
Part: 18/20  
Author: Murasaki Rose  
Beta: none  
Genre: Romance/Fantasy/AU  
Rating: R  
Spoilers: Yami Yuugi's real name  
Warnings: Yaoi (male x male), implied Mpreg  
Pairings: YYxY, SxJxS, DxT, YBxR, YMxM  
Minor Pairings: BMGxA, BMxK, TxCxH, HxO, PxC, IxM, VxA  
Disclaimer: Here we go. Yu-Gi-Oh and all its characters are the property of Kazuki Takahashi, Shueisha, Konami, Toei, and unfortunately, 4 Kids Entertainment. In other words, I don't own them and I'm not making any money off of this, I'm just a fangirl having some fun.  
A/N: "text" = speech, 'text' = thought, ((text)) = telepathy

Summary: Months after their fateful trip to Egypt, the reunited soul mates continue to adjust to their new life in Domino as well as the modern teens' impending graduation. Things appear to be going well until a strange series of seemingly random attacks and bizarre accidents begin plaguing both the lights and their protectors, forcing their lovers into action. In order to protect their mates, the ancient beings must now determine not only the fate of the "lost" city of Atlantis, but also their entire species! The race is on to find the answers before they all face annihilation at the hands of an unknown enemy.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

On the air boat following the carriage, Miruko and Malik were having the time of their lives, asking the knights questions about anything and everything they saw that was new to them. Feeling he had good reason for his behavior, Malik didn't care whether or not he was acting like a child. Less than a year ago he'd never been outside of Egypt and now he had traveled all over the world in order to end up in the most legendary city known to man. What he didn't know was that every knight had brought new people into the city at one time or another and were well used to newcomers' childish enthusiasm towards their home.

Hoping to learn what all had changed within the order of the knights, Amelda and Varon took the opportunity to strike up a conversation with the squad leader and his second-in-command leaving Marik to himself.

Turning to the knight piloting the craft, Marik decided to ask the man something that had been bothering him since their arrival. "When we arrived I noticed quite the unusual variety of ships in the marina. Why such an eclectic collection?"

"There are a number of reasons behind that, but it's mostly due to the fact that they all arrived here at different points in time," the knight explained. "Atlantis has been hidden for three millennia and has been accepting those who arrive since the beginning. Some belong to magical people who came here seeking sanctuary and other belong to humans that stumbled through the barrier and chose to spend the remainder of their lives here."

"What about the ones that want to go back?"

"Since the storm spell only keeps people from coming in, not going out, we let them leave, but not before we cast a memory charm on them. The end result is them having "lost time" but no memory of where they have been and what they have seen."

Marik considered the knight's words, "Hmm. Not a bad idea."

"Yes. By allowing new humans to stay here we can keep our human population from stagnating and update our knowledge of the changes to the outside world as well."

The yami looked surprised, "How many humans still live here?"

The knight shrugged, "Not as many as there used to be, I'd say no more than twenty percent of the population is human now. Most of them are descended from the original inhabitants that were here when the island shifted dimensions and then there are the accidental inhabitants and their descendants."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The carriage ride to the palace was fairly short and their arrival brought about a strange sense of deja vu to the two former rulers. From the carriage windows, they could see palace staff running about to get things in order for the unexpected guests just as they had when they had ruled, except this time **they** were the guests.

Following Sophia out of the carriage, they were surprised when she took them both by the arm and brought them to stand at her sides as equals. Her aide rushed to meet them and she quickly enlightened him both to their true identities and what she wanted done. The man nearly fainted in shock, but quickly recovered and scurried off to put things in motion. In less than ten minutes the entire palace was aware of the return of the legendary lost King and Queen

With the need for their conversation to remain private, Sophia led them to a parlor room where they could talk uninterrupted while enjoying an afternoon tea.

It wasn't until everyone was settled in and tea had been served that she sealed the room from eavesdroppers so they could discuss the matter at hand.

"I must admit, I am concerned as to why you would search out Atlantis for any other reason than it being your home."

Dartz sighed, "Tomoya and I had always planned on traveling with our daughter and finding Atlantis again-"

"I'm sorry, who is Tomoya?" the young-seeming woman interrupted.

"Me," the orange-haired teen replied, adjusting his wire-rimmed glasses. "It's the name I was given in this incarnation, but I will answer to either," he continued with a smile.

Nodding her understanding, Sophia smiled apologetically at her great grand-uncle, "I'm sorry, please continue."

"Yes, well just recently our group of reincarnations and formerly imprisoned darks came under attack-"

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Concern written across her features, Queen Sophia covered her face briefly with one had before responding to the tale her great grand-uncle had just told her. "Oh dear, now I see why your trip was so urgent."

Tomoya leaned forward and took her other hand, "We're sorry to bring trouble with us, but we really need your help."

Shaking her head slightly, she gave the former Queen a wry smile. "There's nothing for you to be sorry for. None of these attacks, neither in your first life or this one, were warranted. And if the Sorcerer Amahte has indeed returned, then we are all in danger. He can not be allowed to continue his xenophobic crusade against our kind."

Leaning back she sipped her forgotten tea, grimacing delicately at the now-cold liquid. Placing her cup down, she gave the small group her full attention, "Tomorrow I will summon the council and inform them of the Sorcerer's return. I would be honored if you all would accompany me." Receiving nods of agreement all around, she continued, "Now I believe it is time for me to tell you how Atlantis came to rest in this dimension.

"The very moment you were sealed Uncle, your father and mother sensed something was wrong. Your father immediately ordered Atlantis' best infiltrator to go to Khemet (1), find the three of you and report back anything untoward.

"Using magic he made the trip in just days and found the country in disarray. In every town and city he passed through the people were depressed and unwilling to speak, fearful of the strange cloaked men that had taken command. Stranger still, he found no sign of any dark, light, anthro, shape-shifter or mage anywhere he went. Reaching the capital of Memphis, he was horrified to find a new _**per-aA**_ on the throne, with an entirely new court and palace staff at his command and no one willing to talk about what had occurred. It took days of searching before he managed to find a small group of humans, ones he recognized as members of_** Per-aA**_ Atem's court, hiding out in the secret underground sections of his tomb. It was from them that he learned the fate of Atem's court and your own, as well as the new _**per-aA**_'s endeavors to wipe out the infestation of "inhuman creatures" and the executions of any humans or mages that refused to swear allegiance to his throne.

"Returning to Atlantis, he told Ironheart and Aella all he had learned in Khemet, including the whispers he'd heard of Amahte's quest to destroy all the "inhuman creatures" worldwide.

"Hearing this, your parents took immediate action, preparing the soldiers for war without their strongest warriors and magically fortifying the city against attack. They also sent word to their allies around the world, telling them of Khemet's fate and warning them of Amahte's plan to do the same worldwide.

"Less than two weeks after the infiltrator had returned, Amahte declared war on Atlantis. He and his army moved through our country like a plague murdering magical beings wherever he found them on his march to the capital. He knew, like others the world over, that without the capital city, our country would fall.

"The battle was horrible. Accounts from the war speak of the endless hours of fighting and bloodshed on the lands beneath our city. Those same accounts also speak of the heroic efforts of our knights and the commonfolk who died defending their country and attempting to avenge their fallen King and Queen. What no one knew at the time was that Amahte was using the battle as a distraction to give himself the time to weave a spell powerful enough to destroy Atlantis completely. Suspecting such a cowardly tactic, Queen Aella was ready for his assault and as he launched his spell, she activated the emergency defense system and the city slipped into this alternate dimension just as the shields failed. We later learned that no one witnessed the city shifting dimensions as it was concealed by the enormous explosion his spell created when it broke through the shields. With the city gone, the sorcerer simply assumed he had vaporized the city.

"Over the next few months, infiltrators were sent back to check on the situation not only with our country, but the world at large. Things were not good. Amahte had gained many followers, some lusting for power, others already fearful or jealous of our kind, and was using them to manipulate and coerce the rest. With the Atlantean army in shambles and the world turning against them, King Ironheart declared that Atlantis would remain in this dimension and become a sanctuary to all our kind. Using the procedures set down when the city first rose into the sky, he determined that they would continue to leave clues that others in need would be able to find their way here no matter where the city had been moved.

"While Ironheart worked to restore order to the city and establish the new procedures, Queen Aella put plans into motion that resulted in the rescue of thousands of mages, anthros, shape-shifters, lights, and darks from all over the world. In the beginning, most of them were refugees from Khemet, Atlantis, and our allies, but as the sorcerer's influence spread, the city received refugees from more and more countries. After things settled down to a manageable pace, Aella created the soul spheres I mentioned earlier. When she realized that her granddaughter was still alive, she attempted to locate her and bring her home. After weeks of searching, she realized that the girl must have been sealed away as you were and reluctantly gave up.

"Life in the city eventually settled into a routine and over the next several millennia Atlantis would be moved several times. No matter where the city ended up, there were always new residents arriving, both accidental and on purpose, leading to the eclectic collection of ships and aircraft you saw when you arrived. I've heard we have created quite a few strange legends because of this and that is fine. As long as we can continue taking in people of our kind and protect them from a world that has been without magic for so long that it has become nothing but fantasy."

A polite knock on the door broke the solemn atmosphere of the room. Releasing the spells on the room, Queen Sophia bid the waiting servant entry, surprised when he announced that dinner was ready.

Checking his watch, Tomoya was surprised at how late it was. "Oh wow, I didn't realize we'd been talking so long."

"Nor did I," the elegant woman replied, rising to her feet. "I believe we have covered everything we need to for tonight. I suggest we all head down for dinner then tomorrow we will discuss the situation further with the council."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Dinner turned out to be a pleasant event for the eight travel-weary yami and hikari. Sophia's twelve year-old mage son Noah had joined them and was completely fascinated by them, asking question after question that they each took turns answering. The queen had worried that her son's constant queries might be bothering them until Dartz reassured her that his own daughter was twice as inquisitive and that his light's friend and fellow reincarnation, had a younger brother the same age and a sister-in-law just a year older. Also, Malik and Miruko seemed to have just as many questions and for every one he asked, they had one of their own for him and the young prince took great pride in teaching them about his home.

They talked long after dinner had ended and might have gone all night had Sophia not called a halt to the questioning. The hour was late and it was past time to retire and they had not even shown their honored guests to their rooms. Isis and Mai, Malik and Marik, and Varon, Amelda, and Miruko were all given guest rooms usually reserved for visiting nobility. The two former knights had protested to such lavish treatment, feeling that it was far too generous, but the Queen had insisted, stating that knights or not, as part of King Dartz and Queen Tryphon's personal guard, they needed to remain close to them. Reluctantly, they conceded to her logic, allowing her to personally escort her uncle and his light towards the royal chambers.

"After your imprisonment, your father had this room sealed and a new room designated as the royal bedchamber," she explained as they approached a familiar door. "When you first stepped foot inside the city, the seal broke and I ordered the servants to freshen things up for you. Beyond that, no one has been inside here in three thousand years."

Opening the door, she gave them a slight bow, "and now I will leave you to your rest, Uncles."

"Good night Sophia." Tomoya managed to say before his eager husband dragged him into their former bedroom.

Shutting the door behind them, the orange-haired teen took a good look around the room. Despite the magic that had been preserving the room and the spells that had been used to clean it, there still was a pervasive stale odor in the air that only time and occupation could cure. Dartz had apparently noticed it too, actually releasing his light to open the balcony doors and let the fresh, cool, night air in.

Walking over to his old desk, Tomoya was surprised at the state it was in. As best he could recall, nothing had been moved. "Look even the papers I was working on before we left are still here," the small teen shuddered faintly. "It's kinda creepy when you think about it."

Coming back to his side, the former king wrapped his arms around his lover, "A whole room frozen in time."

"Thank goodness the rest of Atlantis wasn't the same way," Tomoya commented, looking out towards the city.

"I agree. That would have been far too strange. The changes show they have continued to move forward despite their isolation," Dartz replied, his voice showing his approval. They stood there for a time, silently taking everything in when when Dartz recalled one important not-so-distant memory. Looking over at their very familiar bed covered with fresh linens, Dartz leered down at the oblivious teen in his arms. "I seem to remember someone making a certain promise before we left Japan. . ."

"What promi-oohhhh. THAT promise." Tomoya blushed and started to squirm in his lover's arms. "Ano, are you sure we should be doing this tonight? I mean, it is our first night heeeer-AHH!" His weak protests cutting off sharply as the aqua-haired darkness tossed him onto their bed, gold eyes darkening to amber in their passion.

"We are definitely doing this tonight," he promised, sealing their mouths together and cutting off any further protests.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Before their door had even fully shut, Malik was making a bee line for their bedroom window. Pulling the curtains aside, he was treated to the magnificent view of Atlantis at night. The magic lighting the buildings and crafts making it seem as though they were in a futuristic city instead of the quasi-modern/magical one they were in. "Man I wish I had brought my camera," he grumbled to himself. "But nooooo, I had to go and leave it on the boat like an idiot."

Marik chuckled behind him, "I'm sure you'll get a chance to take pictures later, love. Besides, I have a feeling that we're going to be here a lot in the coming months."

Exhaling heavily, Malik turned away from the window to regard his mate. "You're right Marik . . . It's just . . . sometimes . . sometimes, I forget that we're still in danger of being attacked."

"It's all right **_akhu_**. You've never had to deal with problems like these before," the spiky-haired yami scowled lightly, "and our enemy has not yet launched his full offensive, leaving us in the dark. We have no way of knowing what he has planned or how many he has helping him."

Malik hugged his mate, "But that's why we're here isn't it? To get help and be better prepared for when he does attack?"

"Aa," Marik affirmed, dipping down to give his light a sweet kiss. Pressing eagerly into the kiss, Malik wound his arms around Marik and pulled him into a much deeper embrace. They separated and Marik curled his arms around his light, cupping his bottom and pushing their hips together tightly.

"You know . . . it has been a while since we've had any time alone . . , " Malik trailed off wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Marik smirked and lifted his mate up, grinning madly at the teen who eagerly locked his legs around his yami's hips.

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November 30, 2010  
-edited April 29, 2011

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1 - Ancient Egyptian name for Egypt


	19. Chapter 19

Sorry about the long delay, minna. I've had an insanely busy schedule the last few months and needed some time to recover before I was able to start writing again. Then after struggling and struggling and STRUGGLING with the chapter and removing a bunch of boring padding, I was hit with inspiration and ended uprewriting almost the entire chapter. Frustrating? You bet it was. But the end result is a final chapter I'm happy with. Don't worry, there WILL be a sequel, so check the author's note at the end for more info.

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Title: Evading Destiny  
Part: 19/19  
Author: Murasaki Rose  
Beta: none  
Genre: Romance/Fantasy/AU  
Rating: R  
Spoilers: Yami Yuugi's real name  
Warnings: Yaoi (male x male), implied Mpreg  
Pairings: YYxY, SxJxS, DxT, YBxR, YMxM  
Minor Pairings: BMGxA, BMxK, TxCxH, HxO, PxC, IxM, VxA  
Disclaimer: Here we go. Yu-Gi-Oh and all its characters are the property of Kazuki Takahashi, Shueisha, Konami, and Toei Studios. In other words, I don't own them and I'm not making any money off of this, I'm just a fangirl having some fun.  
A/N: "text" = speech, 'text' = thought, ((text)) = telepathy

Summary: Months after their fateful trip to Egypt, the reunited soul mates continue to adjust to their new life in Domino as well as the modern teens' impending graduation. Things appear to be going well until a strange series of seemingly random attacks and bizarre accidents begin plaguing both the lights and their protectors, forcing their lovers into action. In order to protect their mates, the ancient beings must now determine not only the fate of the "lost" city of Atlantis, but also their entire species! The race is on to find the answers before they all face annihilation at the hands of an unknown enemy.

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_"With citizens worldwide clamoring for answers to the incident at Domino Stadium two weeks ago accompanied by the mass, unexplained dissappearances of people, the governments of the world are still struggling for answers. An emergency meeting of the U. N. is scheduled to take place this week to discuss the growing painic and what, if any measures should be taken regarding the revelation that alleged mythical creatures have been living amongst us. Stay tuned for after the news for a round table discussion of this unprecedented development."_

"Aww, jus' shut if it off Yuugi. We don't need ta see any more," Jonouchi complained.

"Yeah, I'm not exactly in the mood to hear more from Siegfried's buddies making us out to be monsters while normal people try struggle to defend us," Honda agreed.

"At least there's still hope. Most humans are warming up to the idea of us being around, despite all his negative propaganda."

"Yes, but public opinion isn't going to protect us if Siegfried gets the governments on his side." Malik pointed out to the small duelist.

"What's worse is that he's well on his way to doing just that," Ryou added, having heard some of the darker news from his beloved infiltrator. "Siegfried is using his money and power to influence as many politicians he can. Those he can't sway to his views he manipulates by getting one of his acolytes into a position close to them in order to enspell them and the others he flat out replaces with one of his own men or supporters."

Hanasaki looked troubled, "Has he really grown so powerful?"

Now Yuugi's expression turned grim, "We've already seen examples of it in Germany, France, Italy, and Spain. It's only a matter of time before he spreads his influence farther."

"Can't we put a stop to it?" Anzu asked.

"We're trying, but Siegfried has thousands of men at his disposal, with more coming all the time, while we're still struggling to identify his current plants," Hanasaki answered her. "Furthermore, he has spells set to reveal us on contact, limiting our spies down to mages and our human allies."

This information sparked a debate between the teens as to what the best actions they could take and how active a role they would have in the very likely upcoming fight. During a rapid fire discussion between Anzu, Jou and Honda, Yuugi thought back to the events that had brought them here just two weeks ago.

x-_flashback_-x

Disengaging his Duel Disk and carefully placing his cards back into his holster, Yuugi smiled and waved cheerfully to the roaring crowd. After defeating Jonouchi, he had gone on to duel against Siegfried, who had defeated Ryou earlier that day, for the championship. Siegfried and his Valkyries had made for a difficult match, but Yuugi had come up with a strategy that left the King of Games standing triumphant once more. All that remained was a handshake with his opponent, the trophy presentation, then photos and the post-tournament interviews.

((Be careful _ari_.))

((I will.)) Suspicion masked behind his usual cheerful expression, Yuugi's amethyst eyes never left his opponent's as they shook hands for the crowd. To his frustration he wasn't able to decipher anything from Siegfried's own masked expression, only that he **was** only "playing friendly" for the crowd.

From within the puzzle Atem, his senses on high alert, brooded silently over the situation. Breakfast, interviews, the showcase duel with the god cards, and even the elimation duels had passed without incident, yet the young yami still couldn't shake the feeling that the other shoe was about to drop.

Accompanied by Croquet, Pegasus joined the two Duelists and after congratulating them both on an excellent duel, presented them both with their trophies. As he took his trophy from Pegasus, a strange tingling sensation washed over him and Yuugi's eyes instantly cut to Siegfried; the pink-haired CEO was smiling evilly back at him.

"Felt that did you?" he sneered, laughing mockingly as the smaller teen shifted into a defensive stance. "It's too late to escape now, _**akhu**_," he warned viciously, almost spitting out the last word like it was a curse. His eyes glowing as the spell he'd crafted passed through him and towards its final targets.

((NO! _ARI_!))

((ATEM!))

Throwing up a shield formed from both their powers, the teens attempted to ward off the advancing spell but it was too powerful for such a hastily raised defense to work. Their shield shattered under the powerful rush of magic and Atem was forced out of the puzzle in front of the entire crowd.

Laughing maniacally, Siegfried watched the spell he and his acolytes cast begin to take effect. "Now Pharaoh, you and all your wretched kind will be revealed to the world as the monsters you are!"

Doubling over in pain, Yuugi hissed as an electric-like current jolted his body, forcing his wings to unfurl against his will, tearing their way through his shirt to reach their full size. His head pounding like a jack-hammer, the King of Games barely registered the gasps of shock from the watching audience. Next to him, Atem and Pegasus were in much the same state, Croquet hovering at his employer's side.

With his two most powerful adversaries vulnerable, Siegfried, unwilling to let such a golden moment pass him by, raised a hand to blast them. Alerted by the surge in his magic, Yuugi and Atem struggled to refocus long enough to bring up a shield, which immediately became unneccessary when a huge, red, serpentine tail slammed into Siegfried, knocking him into the stadium wall.

"_No one harms Yuugi-darling while I'm around!_"

Whipping around to face the source of the rumbling female voice, they were stunned by what they saw: A six meter tall, Chinese dragon was crouched behind them, growling threateningly at the downed sorcerer.

"VIVIAN-SAN?"

Coiling protectively around them, the dragoness winked playfully. "_I think we've worn out our welcome, Yuugi-darling._"

"Agreed," Atem replied, steadying himself against a nearby coil.

"Mind giving me a lift?"

"Ryouta-kun?"

Lifting a coil on the side they'd heard the ocean duelist's voice come from, Vivian revealed something she had already discovered. The spiky, blue-haired duelist was sitting on the ground next to the dueling platform, flicking his navy blue-scaled tail in amusement.

"Not at all, Ryouta-kun," Ryou answered, he and Bakura coming up and lifting the merman up under his arms.

x-x-x-x

Up in the stands, Mahaado and Mana were busy containing and siphoning off the backlash of magic that had been released from the untrained mages in the audience when they were hit by Amahte's spell.

"_We need to get the Pharaoh and the others out of here!_" Kisara rumbled at her husband. She'd regained control of her body quickly enough but had been unable to return to her human form so she was plucking the terrified and confused shapeshifters and anthros from the panicking audience with her tail then carrying them to the stadium floor.

x-x-x-x

Having thankfully regained his equillibrium, Seto scanned the stadium and for their group. It appeared that everyone was back in fighting condition, but he could still feel Siegfried's spell keeping his wings out. Speaking of which, the reincarnated sorcerer was regaining his senses and was being helped to his feet by some of his men.

"Seto-sama, what do you want me to do?" Isono asked, clearly shaken by his boss's transformation but not allowing it to affect his priorities.

"Have security get those people under control and out of the stadium in as orderly a fashion as possible. Then help anyone injured in the panic."

"And you sir?"

"He's leaving with us," Seth answered for him, Jonouchi nodding his agreement.

"Sir?"

Seto nodded, "I'll contact you as soon as I can." Back on the the stage, he saw Atem signalling Mahaado to land and the mage quickly responding to his side only to leave moments later.

Kisara and Vivian took to the air, followed by Ryou and Bakura, both carrying Kaijiki Ryouta between them.

"C'mon guys!" Yuugi yelled to them as he and Atem took off while Mahaado and Mana teleported themselves and the people they'd rescued from the stands away.

"Right behind ya!" Jou yelled back, taking off with Seth and Seto flanking him.

x-_End-flashback_-x

Warm arms slipped around his waist startling the amethyst-eyed hikari from his thoughts.

Pulling his mate close, Atem pressed a kiss to his cheek. (/Have they been arguing for long, ari?"/)

Yuugi shrugged, /Depends on your definition of long.../

Watching as Seth and Otogi attempted to calm their lovers before they came to blows, Atem chuckled and shook his head at their friends' antics. When everyone finally settled down it was Seto who asked what everyone was thinking.

"So what's our plan?"

"And when are you going to let us help?" Jou added.

"As of today, we will continue to identify and neutralize Siegfried's men, while continuing to sabotage their efforts to have us captured." Atem held up a hand to forestall the protests he knew were coming, "In addition, we and the other sanctuaries will begin training any of our kind who wish it, in magic and combat skills"

"Your training begins tomorrow," Seth added before any of them could even ask.

"Do you really think it will come to war?" Hanasaki asked sadly.

"Amahte's reincarnation intends to wipe our people off the planet. There was no reasoning with him then and he seems even more determined to do so now, "Dartz replied.

Sensing the souring mood, Atem quickly regained their attention, "It doesn't matter how determined he is. This time we will defeat him."

x-x-x-x

December 24, 2011

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_Owari ... for now_

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**ABOUT THE SEQUEL**

Yes, there is a sequel to this story... I just haven't started working on it yet. *_ducks flying projectiles_* Blame my muses on that one. I was going to work on it for NaNoWriMo, but ended up working on another story of mine: _**My Moonlit Lover**_, which I will start posting within the next week or so.

While I'm doing that and outlining Evading's sequel, I'll also be working on two series of short story prequels called _**Preceding Destiny: Tales from Atlantis**_, and _**Preceding Destiny: Out of Khemet**_ (subtitles subject to change). These stories will take place before the events in the first chapter of _**Retrieving Destiny**_ and will range in length and subject.

Due to popular demand the first story will be about how Timeaus met with Critias and Hermos and how they got together. I've already completed a rough draft of the first three chapters, so expect to see the first chapter soon, hopefully sometime in January. The second story planned will deal with Ahmate's past: what happened to make him hate the _akhu_ and _kkwy_ and how it led to him creating his sect.

On my profile I've created a poll so you can vote on the third story, but if you don't see one you'd like, message me with your suggestion and if I like it, I'll add it to the next poll.

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1 - The largest stadium in Japan is the International Stadium Yokohama, it seats 70,000. I just decided to give Domino a bigger one due to the popularity of Duel Monsters and the fact that four of the world's top duelists live in the city. ^_~*


End file.
